{"collection":"myth-cosmogony","full_text_available":true,"graph_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/api/page/gutenberg_43628/graph","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/page/gutenberg_43628","id":"gutenberg_43628","license":"Public Domain (US)","rights_basis":"gutenberg_metadata_copyright_false","source":"gutenberg","source_url":"https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/43628","summary":null,"tags":["Category: Mythology, Legends & Folklore","Category: Short Stories","China -- Social life and customs -- Fiction","Short stories, Chinese -- Translations into English"],"text":"STRANGE STORIES\n\nFROM A\n\nCHINESE STUDIO.\n\n\n\n\n STRANGE STORIES\n FROM A\n CHINESE STUDIO.\n\n TRANSLATED AND ANNOTATED\n BY\n HERBERT A. GILES,\n _Of H.M.\u2019s Consular Service_.\n\n IN TWO VOLUMES.\n\n VOL. II.\n\n LONDON:\n THOS. DE LA RUE & CO.\n 110, BUNHILL ROW.\n\n 1880.\n\n\n\n\n PRINTED BY\n THOMAS DE LA RUE AND CO., BUNHILL ROW,\n LONDON.\n\n\n\n\nCONTENTS.\n\n\n INTRODUCTION Vol. I., pp. xiii-xxxii.\n\n\n STORIES.\n\n VOL. I. VOL. II.\n\n PAGE PAGE\n\n Adulteration Punished -- 332\n\n Alchemist, The -- 313\n\n Boat-girl Bride, The -- 149\n\n Boatmen of Lao-lung, The -- 348\n\n Boon Companion, The 165 --\n\n Bribery and Corruption -- 170\n\n Buddhist Priest of Ch\u2018ang-ch\u2018ing, The 22 --\n\n Buddhist Priests, Arrival of -- 231\n\n Butterfly\u2019s Revenge, The -- 289\n\n Carrying a Corpse -- 181\n\n Cattle Plague, The -- 253\n\n Censor in Purgatory, The -- 238\n\n Chang Pu-liang -- 177\n\n Chang\u2019s Transformation 237 --\n\n Chou K\u2018o-ch\u2018ang and his Ghost -- 106\n\n Clay Image, The -- 276\n\n Cloth Merchant, The -- 127\n\n Collecting Subscriptions -- 220\n\n Considerate Husband, The 158 --\n\n Country of the Cave Men, The 397 --\n\n Courage Tested -- 116\n\n Cruelty Avenged -- 267\n\n Dead Priest, The -- 247\n\n Death by Laughing 352 --\n\n Disembodied Friend, The -- 119\n\n Dishonesty Punished -- 279\n\n Doctor, The -- 290\n\n Donkey\u2019s Revenge, The -- 64\n\n Dr. Ts\u00eang\u2019s Dream 387 --\n\n Dreaming Honours -- 327\n\n Dutch Carpet, The -- 179\n\n Dwarf, A 224 --\n\n Earthquake, An -- 263\n\n Elephants and the Lion, The -- 343\n\n Engaged to a Nun 262 --\n\n Examination for the Post of Guardian Angel 1 --\n\n Faithful Dog, The -- 261\n\n Faithful Gander, The -- 342\n\n Faithless Widow, The -- 39\n\n Feasting the Ruler of Purgatory -- 284\n\n F\u00eang-shui -- 322\n\n Fight with the Foxes, The 251 --\n\n Fighting Cricket, The -- 17\n\n Fighting Quails, The 66 --\n\n Fisherman and his Friend, The -- 197\n\n Flood, A 350 --\n\n Flower-nymphs, The 285 --\n\n Flying Cow, The -- 249\n\n Foot-ball on the Tung-t\u2018ing Lake 408 --\n\n Foreign Priests 343 --\n\n Fortune-hunter Punished, The -- 272\n\n Forty Strings of Cash, The -- 211\n\n Friendship with Foxes -- 300\n\n Gambler\u2019s Talisman, The 419 --\n\n Grateful Dog, The -- 308\n\n Great Rat, The -- 303\n\n Great Test, The -- 310\n\n Hidden Treasure, The -- 345\n\n His Father\u2019s Ghost -- 142\n\n Hsiang-ju\u2019s Misfortunes 225 --\n\n Husband Punished, The 422 --\n\n Incorrupt Official, The -- 358\n\n Infernal Regions, In the -- 95\n\n Ingratitude Punished -- 138\n\n Injustice of Heaven, The -- 111\n\n Invisible Priest, The -- 235\n\n Jen Hsiu, The Gambler 196 --\n\n Joining the Immortals 53 --\n\n Jonah, A Chinese -- 176\n\n Judge Lu 92 --\n\n Justice for Rebels -- 184\n\n Killing a Serpent -- 190\n\n King, The 257 --\n\n Life Prolonged -- 273\n\n Lingering Death, The -- 325\n\n Little Chu 143 --\n\n Lo-ch\u2018a Country and the Sea Market, The -- 1\n\n Lost Brother, The 203 --\n\n Mad Priest, The -- 282\n\n Magic Mirror, The -- 114\n\n Magic Path, The -- 36\n\n Magic Sword, The 124 --\n\n Magical Arts 47 --\n\n Magnanimous Girl, The 160 --\n\n Making Animals -- 265\n\n Man who was changed into a Crow, The 278 --\n\n Man who was thrown down a Well, The 365 --\n\n Marriage Lottery, The 428 --\n\n Marriage of the Fox\u2019s Daughter, The 26 --\n\n Marriage of the Virgin Goddess, The -- 257\n\n Master-thief, The 347 --\n\n Metempsychosis -- 207\n\n \u201cMirror and Listen\u201d Trick, The -- 251\n\n Miss Chiao-no 33 --\n\n Miss Lien-hsiang, The Fox-girl 168 --\n\n Miss Quarta Hu 152 --\n\n Miss Ying-ning; or, the Laughing Girl 106 --\n\n Mr. Tung; or, Virtue Rewarded -- 244\n\n Mr. Willow and the Locusts -- 242\n\n Mysterious Head, The -- 135\n\n Painted Skin, The 76 --\n\n Painted Wall, The 9 --\n\n Performing Mice, The 218 --\n\n Perseverance Rewarded 186 --\n\n Picture Horse, The -- 286\n\n Pious Surgeon, The -- 351\n\n Planchette -- 295\n\n Planting a Pear-tree 14 --\n\n Playing at Hanging 354 --\n\n Priest\u2019s Warning, The -- 205\n\n Princess Lily, The -- 56\n\n Princess of the Tung-t\u2018ing Lake -- 43\n\n Quarrelsome Brothers, The 313 --\n\n Raising the Dead -- 318\n\n Rat Wife, The 355 --\n\n Resuscitated Corpse, The -- 193\n\n Rip van Winkle, A Chinese -- 85\n\n Roc, The -- 340\n\n Salt Smuggler, The -- 215\n\n Saving Life -- 213\n\n Sea-serpent, The -- 113\n\n Self-punished Murderer, The 345 --\n\n She-wolf and the Herd-boys, The -- 330\n\n Shui-mang Plant, The 136 --\n\n Singing Frogs, The 217 --\n\n Singular case of Ophthalmia -- 102\n\n Singular Verdict -- 307\n\n Sisters, The 336 --\n\n Smelling Essays -- 139\n\n Snow in Summer -- 294\n\n Solomon, A Chinese -- 335\n\n Solomon, Another -- 355\n\n Spirit of the Hills, The -- 137\n\n Spirits of the Po-yang Lake, The -- 109\n\n Spiritualistic S\u00e9ances -- 131\n\n Stolen Eyes, The -- 233\n\n Strange Companion, A -- 130\n\n Stream of Cash, The -- 110\n\n Supernatural Wife, A -- 166\n\n Taking Revenge -- 25\n\n Talking Pupils, The 5 --\n\n Ta-nan in Search of his Father 296 --\n\n Taoist Devotee, A -- 183\n\n Taoist Miracles -- 226\n\n Taoist Priest, A 246 --\n\n Taoist Priest of Lao-shan, The 17 --\n\n Theft of the Peach -- 186\n\n Three Genii, The 214 --\n\n Three States of Existence, The -- 90\n\n Thunder God, The 413 --\n\n Tiger Guest, The 330 --\n\n Tiger of Chao-ch\u2018\u00eang, The 219 --\n\n Tipsy Turtle, The -- 28\n\n Trader\u2019s Son, The 85 --\n\n Two Brides, The -- 158\n\n Unjust Sentence, The -- 80\n\n Virtuous Daughter-in-law, The 374 --\n\n Wei-ch\u2018i Devil, The -- 268\n\n Wine Insect, The -- 259\n\n Wolf Dream, The -- 73\n\n Wolves -- 305\n\n Wonderful Stone, The 306 --\n\n Young Gentleman who couldn\u2019t spell, The 326 --\n\n Young Lady of the Tung-t\u2018ing Lake, The 271 --\n\n\n APPENDIX A -- 361\n\n \u201e B -- 389\n\n\n\n\nSTRANGE STORIES\n\nFROM A\n\nCHINESE STUDIO.\n\n\n\n\nLXIII.\n\nTHE LO-CH\u2018A COUNTRY AND THE SEA-MARKET.[1]\n\n\nOnce upon a time there was a young man, named Ma Ch\u00fcn, who was also\nknown as Lung-mei. He was the son of a trader, and a youth of\nsurpassing beauty. His manners were courteous, and he loved nothing\nbetter than singing and playing. He used to associate with actors, and\nwith an embroidered handkerchief round his head the effect was that of\na beautiful woman. Hence he acquired the sobriquet of the Beauty. At\nfourteen years of age he graduated and began to make a name for\nhimself; but his father, who was growing old and wished to retire from\nbusiness, said to him, \u201cMy boy, book-learning will never fill your\nbelly or put a coat on your back; you had much better stick to the old\nthing.\u201d Accordingly, Ma from that time occupied himself with scales\nand weights, with principle and interest, and such matters.\n\nHe made a voyage across the sea, and was carried away by a typhoon.\nAfter being tossed about for many days and nights he arrived at a\ncountry where the people were hideously ugly. When these people saw Ma\nthey thought he was a devil and all ran screeching away. Ma was\nsomewhat alarmed at this, but finding that it was they who were\nfrightened at him, he quickly turned their fear to his own advantage.\nIf he came across people eating and drinking he would rush upon them,\nand when they fled away for fear, he would regale himself upon what\nthey had left. By-and-by he went to a village among the hills, and\nthere the people had at any rate some facial resemblance to ordinary\nmen. But they were all in rags and tatters like beggars. So Ma sat\ndown to rest under a tree, and the villagers, not daring to come near\nhim, contented themselves with looking at him from a distance. They\nsoon found, however, that he did not want to eat them, and by degrees\napproached a little closer to him. Ma, smiling, began to talk; and\nalthough their language was different, yet he was able to make himself\ntolerably intelligible, and told them whence he had come. The\nvillagers were much pleased, and spread the news that the stranger was\nnot a man-eater. Nevertheless, the very ugliest of all would only take\na look and be off again; they would not come near him. Those who did\ngo up to him were not very much unlike his own countrymen, the\nChinese. They brought him plenty of food and wine. Ma asked them what\nthey were afraid of. They replied, \u201cWe had heard from our forefathers\nthat 26,000 _li_ to the west there is a country called China. We had\nheard that the people of that land were the most extraordinary in\nappearance you can possibly imagine. Hitherto it has been hearsay; we\ncan now believe it.\u201d He then asked them how it was they were so poor.\nThey answered, \u201cYou see, in our country everything depends, not on\nliterary talent, but on beauty. The most beautiful are made ministers\nof state; the next handsomest are made judges and magistrates; and the\nthird class in looks are employed in the palace of the king. Thus\nthese are enabled out of their pay to provide for their wives and\nfamilies. But we, from our very birth, are regarded by our parents as\ninauspicious, and are left to perish, some of us being occasionally\npreserved by more humane parents to prevent the extinction of the\nfamily.\u201d Ma asked the name of their country, and they told him it was\nLo-ch\u2018a. Also that the capital city was some 30 _li_ to the north. He\nbegged them to take him there, and next day at cock-crow he started\nthitherwards in their company, arriving just about dawn. The walls of\nthe city were made of black stone, as black as ink, and the city\ngate-houses were about 100 feet high. Red stones were used for tiles,\nand picking up a broken piece Ma found that it marked his finger-nail\nlike vermilion. They arrived just when the Court was rising, and saw\nall the equipages of the officials. The village people pointed out\none who they said was Prime Minister. His ears drooped forward in\nflaps; he had three nostrils, and his eye-lashes were just like bamboo\nscreens hanging in front of his eyes. Then several came out on\nhorseback, and they said these were the privy councillors. So they\nwent on, telling him the rank of all the ugly uncouth fellows he saw.\nThe lower they got down in the official scale the less hideous the\nofficials were. By-and-by Ma went back, the people in the streets\nmarvelling very much to see him, and tumbling helter-skelter one over\nanother as if they had met a goblin. The villagers shouted out to\nre-assure them, and then they stood at a distance to look at him. When\nhe got back, there was not a man, woman, or child in the whole nation\nbut knew that there was a strange man at the village; and the gentry\nand officials became very desirous to see him. However, if he went to\nany of their houses the porter always slammed the door in his face,\nand the master, mistress, and family, in general, would only peep at,\nand speak to him through the cracks. Not a single one dared receive\nhim face to face; but, finally, the village people, at a loss what to\ndo, bethought themselves of a man who had been sent by a former king\non official business among strange nations. \u201cHe,\u201d said they, \u201chaving\nseen many kinds of men, will not be afraid of you.\u201d So they went to\nhis house, where they were received in a very friendly way. He seemed\nto be about eighty or ninety years of age; his eye-balls protruded,\nand his beard curled up like a hedge-hog. He said, \u201cIn my youth I was\nsent by the king among many nations, but I never went to China. I am\nnow one hundred and twenty years of age, and that I should be\npermitted to see a native of your country is a fact which it will be\nmy duty to report to the Throne. For ten years and more I have not\nbeen to Court, but have remained here in seclusion; yet I will now\nmake an effort on your behalf.\u201d Then followed a banquet, and when the\nwine had already circulated pretty freely, some dozen singing girls\ncame in and sang and danced before them. The girls all wore white\nembroidered turbans, and long scarlet robes which trailed on the\nground. The words they uttered were unintelligible, and the tunes they\nplayed perfectly hideous. The host, however, seemed to enjoy it very\nmuch, and said to Ma, \u201cHave you music in China?\u201d He replied that they\nhad, and the old man asked for a specimen. Ma hummed him a tune,\nbeating time on the table, with which he was very much pleased,\ndeclaring that his guest had the voice of a ph\u0153nix and the notes of a\ndragon, such as he had never heard before. The next day he presented a\nmemorial to the Throne, and the king at once commanded Ma to appear\nbefore him. Several of the ministers, however, represented that his\nappearance was so hideous it might frighten His Majesty, and the king\naccordingly desisted from his intention. The old man returned and told\nMa, being quite upset about it. They remained together some time until\nthey had drunk themselves tipsy. Then Ma, seizing a sword, began to\nattitudinize, smearing his face all over with coal-dust. He acted the\npart of Chang Fei,[2] at which his host was so delighted that he\nbegged him to appear before the Prime Minister in the character of\nChang Fei. Ma replied, \u201cI don\u2019t mind a little amateur acting, but how\ncan I play the hypocrite[3] for my own personal advantage?\u201d On being\npressed he consented, and the old man prepared a great feast, and\nasked some of the high officials to be present, telling Ma to paint\nhimself as before. When the guests had arrived, Ma was brought out to\nsee them; whereupon they all exclaimed, \u201cAi-yah! how is it he was so\nugly before and is now so beautiful?\u201d By-and-by, when they were all\ntaking wine together, Ma began to sing them a most bewitching song,\nand they got so excited over it that next day they recommended him to\nthe king. The king sent a special summons for him to appear, and asked\nhim many questions about the government of China, to all of which Ma\nreplied in detail, eliciting sighs of admiration from His Majesty. He\nwas honoured with a banquet in the royal guest-pavilion, and when the\nking had made himself tipsy he said to him, \u201cI hear you are a very\nskilful musician. Will you be good enough to let me hear you?\u201d Ma then\ngot up and began to attitudinize, singing a plaintive air like the\ngirls with the turbans. The king was charmed, and at once made him a\nprivy councillor, giving him a private banquet, and bestowing other\nmarks of royal favour. As time went on his fellow-officials found out\nthe secret of his painted face,[4] and whenever he was among them they\nwere always whispering together, besides which they avoided being near\nhim as much as possible. Thus Ma was left to himself, and found his\nposition anything but pleasant in consequence. So he memorialized the\nThrone, asking to be allowed to retire from office, but his request\nwas refused. He then said his health was bad, and got three months\u2019\nsick leave, during which he packed up his valuables and went back to\nthe village. The villagers on his arrival went down on their knees to\nhim, and he distributed gold and jewels amongst his old friends. They\nwere very glad to see him, and said, \u201cYour kindness shall be repaid\nwhen we go to the sea-market; we will bring you some pearls and\nthings.\u201d Ma asked them where that was. They said it was at the bottom\nof the sea, where the mermaids[5] kept their treasures, and that as\nmany as twelve nations were accustomed to go thither to trade. Also\nthat it was frequented by spirits, and that to get there it was\nnecessary to pass through red vapours and great waves. \u201cDear Sir,\u201d\nthey said, \u201cdo not yourself risk this great danger, but let us take\nyour money and purchase these rare pearls for you. The season is now\nat hand.\u201d Ma asked them how they knew this. They said, \u201cWhenever we\nsee red birds flying backwards and forwards over the sea, we know that\nwithin seven days the market will open.\u201d He asked when they were\ngoing to start, that he might accompany them; but they begged him not\nto think of doing so. He replied, \u201cI am a sailor: how can I be afraid\nof wind and waves?\u201d Very soon after this people came with merchandise\nto forward, and so Ma packed up and went on board the vessel that was\ngoing.\n\nThis vessel held some tens of people, was flat-bottomed with a railing\nall round, and, rowed by ten men, it cut through the water like an\narrow. After a voyage of three days they saw afar off faint outlines\nof towers and minarets, and crowds of trading vessels. They soon\narrived at the city, the walls of which were made of bricks as long as\na man\u2019s body, the tops of its buildings being lost in the Milky\nWay.[6] Having made fast their boat they went in, and saw laid out in\nthe market rare pearls and wondrous precious stones of dazzling\nbeauty, such as are quite unknown amongst men. Then they saw a young\nman come forth riding upon a beautiful steed. The people of the market\nstood back to let him pass, saying he was the third son of the king;\nbut when the Prince saw Ma, he exclaimed, \u201cThis is no foreigner,\u201d and\nimmediately an attendant drew near and asked his name and country. Ma\nmade a bow, and standing at one side told his name and family. The\nprince smiled, and said, \u201cFor you to have honoured our country thus is\nno small piece of good luck.\u201d He then gave him a horse and begged him\nto follow. They went out of the city gate and down to the sea-shore,\nwhereupon their horses plunged into the water. Ma was terribly\nfrightened and screamed out; but the sea opened dry before them and\nformed a wall of water on either side. In a little time they reached\nthe king\u2019s palace, the beams of which were made of tortoise-shell and\nthe tiles of fishes\u2019 scales. The four walls were of crystal, and\ndazzled the eye like mirrors. They got down off their horses and went\nin, and Ma was introduced to the king. The young prince said, \u201cSire, I\nhave been to the market, and have got a gentleman from China.\u201d\nWhereupon Ma made obeisance before the king, who addressed him as\nfollows:--\u201cSir, from a talented scholar like yourself I venture to ask\nfor a few stanzas upon our sea-market. Pray do not refuse.\u201d Ma\nthereupon made a _kot\u2018ow_ and undertook the king\u2019s command. Using an\nink-slab of crystal, a brush of dragon\u2019s beard, paper as white as\nsnow, and ink scented like the larkspur,[7] Ma immediately threw off\nsome thousand odd verses, which he laid at the feet of the king. When\nHis Majesty saw them, he said, \u201cSir, your genius does honour to these\nmarine nations of ours.\u201d Then, summoning the members of the royal\nfamily, the king gave a great feast in the Coloured Cloud pavilion;\nand, when the wine had circulated freely, seizing a great goblet in\nhis hand, the king rose and said before all the guests, \u201cIt is a\nthousand pities, Sir, that you are not married. What say you to\nentering the bonds of wedlock?\u201d Ma rose blushing, and stammered out\nhis thanks; upon which the king looking round spoke a few words to the\nattendants, and in a few moments in came a bevy of court ladies\nsupporting the king\u2019s daughter, whose ornaments went tinkle, tinkle,\nas she walked along. Immediately the nuptial drums and trumpets began\nto sound forth, and bride and bridegroom worshipped Heaven and Earth\ntogether.[8] Stealing a glance Ma saw that the princess was endowed\nwith a fairy-like loveliness. When the ceremony was over she retired,\nand by-and-by the wine-party broke up. Then came several\nbeautifully-dressed waiting-maids, who with painted candles escorted\nMa within. The bridal couch was made of coral adorned with eight kinds\nof precious stones, and the curtains were thickly hung with pearls as\nbig as acorns. Next day at dawn a crowd of young slave-girls trooped\ninto the room to offer their services; whereupon Ma got up and went\noff to Court to pay his respects to the king. He was then duly\nreceived as royal son-in-law and made an officer of state. The fame of\nhis poetical talents spread far and wide, and the kings of the various\nseas sent officers to congratulate him, vying with each other in their\ninvitations to him. Ma dressed himself in gorgeous clothes, and went\nforth riding on a superb steed, with a mounted body-guard all\nsplendidly armed. There were musicians on horseback and musicians in\nchariots, and in three days he had visited every one of the marine\nkingdoms, making his name known in all directions. In the palace there\nwas a jade tree, about as big round as a man could clasp. Its roots\nwere as clear as glass, and up the middle ran, as it were, a stick of\npale yellow. The branches were the size of one\u2019s arm; the leaves like\nwhite jade, as thick as a copper cash. The foliage was dense, and\nbeneath its shade the ladies of the palace were wont to sit and sing.\nThe flowers which covered the tree resembled grapes, and if a single\npetal fell to the earth it made a ringing sound. Taking one up, it\nwould be found to be exactly like carved cornelian, very bright and\npretty to look at. From time to time a wonderful bird came and sang\nthere. Its feathers were of a golden hue, and its tail as long as its\nbody. Its notes were like the tinkling of jade, very plaintive and\ntouching to listen to. When Ma heard this bird sing, it called up in\nhim recollections of his old home, and accordingly he said to the\nprincess, \u201cI have now been away from my own country for three years,\nseparated from my father and mother. Thinking of them my tears flow\nand the perspiration runs down my back. Can you return with me?\u201d His\nwife replied, \u201cThe way of immortals is not that of men. I am unable to\ndo what you ask, but I cannot allow the feelings of husband and wife\nto break the tie of parent and child. Let us devise some plan.\u201d When\nMa heard this he wept bitterly, and the princess sighed and said, \u201cWe\ncannot both stay or both go.\u201d The next day the king said to him, \u201cI\nhear that you are pining after your old home. Will to-morrow suit you\nfor taking leave?\u201d Ma thanked the king for his great kindness, which\nhe declared he could never forget, and promised to return very\nshortly. That evening the princess and Ma talked over their wine of\ntheir approaching separation. Ma said they would soon meet again; but\nhis wife averred that their married life was at an end. Then he wept\nafresh, but the princess said, \u201cLike a filial son you are going home\nto your parents. In the meetings and separations of this life, a\nhundred years seem but a single day; why, then, should we give way to\ntears like children? I will be true to you; do you be faithful to me;\nand then, though separated, we shall be united in spirit, a happy\npair. Is it necessary to live side by side in order to grow old\ntogether? If you break our contract your next marriage will not be a\npropitious one; but if loneliness[9] overtakes you then choose a\nconcubine. There is one point more of which I would speak, with\nreference to our married life. I am about to become a mother, and I\npray you give me a name for your child.\u201d To this Ma replied, \u201cIf a\ngirl I would have her called Lung-kung; if a boy, then name him\nFu-hai.\u201d[10] The princess asked for some token of remembrance, and Ma\ngave her a pair of jade lilies that he had got during his stay in the\nmarine kingdom. She added, \u201cOn the 8th of the 4th moon, three years\nhence, when you once more steer your course for this country, I will\ngive you up your child.\u201d She next packed a leather bag full of jewels\nand handed it to Ma, saying, \u201cTake care of this; it will be a\nprovision for many generations.\u201d When the day began to break a\nsplendid farewell feast was given him by the king, and Ma bade them\nall adieu. The princess, in a car drawn by snow-white sheep, escorted\nhim to the boundary of the marine kingdom, where he dismounted and\nstepped ashore. \u201cFarewell!\u201d cried the princess, as her returning car\nbore her rapidly away, and the sea, closing over her, snatched her\nfrom her husband\u2019s sight. Ma returned to his home across the ocean.\nSome had thought him long since dead and gone; all marvelled at his\nstory. Happily his father and mother were yet alive, though his former\nwife had married another man; and so he understood why the princess\nhad pledged him to constancy, for she already knew that this had taken\nplace. His father wished him to take another wife, but he would not.\nHe only took a concubine. Then, after the three years had passed away,\nhe started across the sea on his return journey, when lo! he beheld,\nriding on the wave-crests and splashing about the water in playing,\ntwo young children. On going near, one of them seized hold of him and\nsprung into his arms; upon which the elder cried until he, too, was\ntaken up. They were a boy and girl, both very lovely, and wearing\nembroidered caps adorned with jade lilies. On the back of one of them\nwas a worked case, in which Ma found the following letter:--\n\n\u201cI presume my father and mother-in-law are well. Three years have\npassed away and destiny still keeps us apart. Across the great ocean,\nthe letter-bird would find no path.[11] I have been with you in my\ndreams until I am quite worn out. Does the blue sky look down upon any\ngrief like mine? Yet Ch\u2018ang-ngo[12] lives solitary in the moon, and\nChih N\u00fc[13] laments that she cannot cross the Silver River. Who am I\nthat I should expect happiness to be mine? Truly this thought turns my\ntears into joy. Two months after your departure I had twins, who can\nalready prattle away in the language of childhood, at one moment\nsnatching a date, at another a pear. Had they no mother they would\nstill live. These I now send to you, with the jade lilies you gave me\nin their hats, in token of the sender. When you take them upon your\nknee, think that I am standing by your side. I know that you have kept\nyour promise to me, and I am happy. I shall take no second husband,\neven unto death. All thoughts of dress and finery are gone from me; my\nlooking-glass sees no new fashions; my face has long been unpowdered,\nmy eyebrows unblacked. You are my Ulysses, I am your Penelope;[14]\nthough not actually leading a married life, how can it be said that\nwe are not husband and wife. Your father and mother will take their\ngrandchildren upon their knees, though they have never set eyes upon\nthe bride. Alas! there is something wrong in this. Next year your\nmother will enter upon the long night. I shall be there by the side of\nthe grave as is becoming in her daughter-in-law. From this time forth\nour daughter will be well; later on she will be able to grasp her\nmother\u2019s hand. Our boy, when he grows up, may possibly be able to come\nto and fro. Adieu, dear husband, adieu, though I am leaving much\nunsaid.\u201d Ma read the letter over and over again, his tears flowing all\nthe time. His two children clung round his neck, and begged him to\ntake them home. \u201cAh, my children,\u201d said he, \u201cwhere is your home?\u201d Then\nthey all wept bitterly, and Ma, looking at the great ocean stretching\naway to meet the sky, lovely and pathless, embraced his children, and\nproceeded sorrowfully to return. Knowing, too, that his mother could\nnot last long, he prepared everything necessary for the ceremony of\ninterment, and planted a hundred young pine-trees at her grave.[15]\nThe following year the old lady did die, and her coffin was borne to\nits last resting-place, when lo! there was the princess standing by\nthe side of the grave. The lookers-on were much alarmed, but in a\nmoment there was a flash of lightning, followed by a clap of thunder\nand a squall of rain, and she was gone. It was then noticed that many\nof the young pine-trees which had died were one and all brought to\nlife. Subsequently, Fu-hai went in search of the mother for whom he\npined so much, and after some days\u2019 absence returned. Lung-kung, being\na girl, could not accompany him, but she mourned much in secret. One\ndark day her mother entered and bid her dry her eyes, saying, \u201cMy\nchild, you must get married. Why these tears?\u201d She then gave her a\ntree of coral eight feet in height, some Baroos camphor,[16] one\nhundred valuable pearls, and two boxes inlaid with gold and precious\nstones, as her dowry. Ma having found out she was there, rushed in and\nseizing her hand began to weep for joy, when suddenly a violent peal\nof thunder rent the building, and the princess had vanished.\n\n\nFOOTNOTES:\n\n[1] The term \u201csea-market\u201d is generally understood in the sense of\n_mirage_, or some similar phenomenon.\n\n[2] A famous General who played a leading part in the wars of the\nThree Kingdoms. See No. XCIII., note 127.\n\n[3] A hit at the hypocrisy of the age.\n\n[4] Shewing that hypocrisy is bad policy in the long run.\n\n[5] The tears of Chinese mermaids are said to be pearls.\n\n[6] See No. XIX., note 135.\n\n[7] Good ink of the kind miscalled \u201cIndian,\u201d is usually very highly\nscented; and from a habit the Chinese have of sucking their\nwriting-brushes to a fine point, the phrase \u201cto eat ink\u201d has become a\nsynonym of \u201cto study.\u201d\n\n[8] This all-important point in a Chinese marriage ceremony is the\nequivalent of our own \u201csigning in the vestry.\u201d\n\n[9] Literally, \u201cif you have no one to cook your food.\u201d\n\n[10] \u201cDragon Palace\u201d and \u201cHappy Sea,\u201d respectively.\n\n[11] Alluding to an old legend of a letter conveyed by a bird.\n\n[12] See No. V., note 49.\n\n[13] The \u201cSpinning Damsel,\u201d or name of a star in Lyra, connected with\nwhich there is a celebrated legend of its annual transit across the\nMilky Way.\n\n[14] These are of course only the equivalents of the Chinese names in\nthe text.\n\n[15] To keep off the much-dreaded wind, which disturbs the rest of the\ndeparted.\n\n[16] For which a very high price is obtained in China.\n\n\n\n\nLXIV.\n\nTHE FIGHTING CRICKET.\n\n\nDuring the reign of Hs\u00fcan T\u00ea,[17] cricket fighting was very much in\nvogue at court, levies of crickets being exacted from the people as a\ntax. On one occasion the magistrate of Hua-yin, wishing to make\nfriends with the Governor, presented him with a cricket which, on\nbeing set to fight, displayed very remarkable powers; so much so that\nthe Governor commanded the magistrate to supply him regularly with\nthese insects. The latter, in his turn, ordered the beadles of his\ndistrict to provide him with crickets; and then it became a practice\nfor people who had nothing else to do to catch and rear them for this\npurpose. Thus the price of crickets rose very high; and when the\nbeadle\u2019s[18] runners came to exact even a single one, it was enough\nto ruin several families.\n\nNow in the village of which we are speaking there lived a man named\nCh\u2018\u00eang, a student who had often failed for his bachelor\u2019s degree; and,\nbeing a stupid sort of fellow, his name was sent in for the post of\nbeadle. He did all he could to get out of it, but without success; and\nby the end of the year his small patrimony was gone. Just then came a\ncall for crickets, and Ch\u2018\u00eang, not daring to make a like call upon his\nneighbours, was at his wits\u2019 end, and in his distress determined to\ncommit suicide. \u201cWhat\u2019s the use of that?\u201d cried his wife. \u201cYou\u2019d do\nbetter to go out and try to find some.\u201d So off went Ch\u2018\u00eang in the\nearly morning, with a bamboo tube and a silk net, not returning till\nlate at night; and he searched about in tumble-down walls, in bushes,\nunder stones, and in holes, but without catching more than two or\nthree, do what he would. Even those he did catch were weak creatures,\nand of no use at all, which made the magistrate fix a limit of time,\nthe result of which was that in a few days Ch\u2018\u00eang got one hundred\nblows with the bamboo. This made him so sore that he was quite unable\nto go after the crickets any more, and, as he lay tossing and turning\non the bed, he determined once again to put an end to his life.\n\nAbout that time a hump-backed fortune-teller of great skill arrived at\nthe village, and Ch\u2018\u00eang\u2019s wife, putting together a trifle of money,\nwent off to seek his assistance. The door was literally blocked\nup--fair young girls and white-headed dames crowding in from all\nquarters. A room was darkened, and a bamboo screen hung at the door,\nan altar being arranged outside at which the fortune-seekers burnt\nincense in a brazier, and prostrated themselves twice, while the\nsoothsayer stood by the side, and, looking up into vacancy, prayed for\na response. His lips opened and shut, but nobody heard what he said,\nall standing there in awe waiting for the answer. In a few moments a\npiece of paper was thrown from behind the screen, and the soothsayer\nsaid that the petitioner\u2019s desire would be accomplished in the way he\nwished. Ch\u2018\u00eang\u2019s wife now advanced, and, placing some money on the\naltar, burnt her incense and prostrated herself in a similar manner.\nIn a few moments the screen began to move, and a piece of paper was\nthrown down, on which there were no words, but only a picture. In the\nmiddle was a building like a temple, and behind this a small hill, at\nthe foot of which were a number of curious stones, with the long,\nspiky feelers of innumerable crickets appearing from behind. Hard by\nwas a frog, which seemed to be engaged in putting itself into various\nkinds of attitudes. The good woman had no idea what it all meant; but\nshe noticed the crickets, and accordingly went off home to tell her\nhusband. \u201cAh,\u201d said he, \u201cthis is to shew me where to hunt for\ncrickets;\u201d and, on looking closely at the picture, he saw that the\nbuilding very much resembled a temple to the east of their village. So\nhe forced himself to get up, and, leaning on a stick, went out to seek\ncrickets behind the temple. Rounding an old grave, he came upon a\nplace where stones were lying scattered about as in the picture, and\nthen he set himself to watch attentively. He might as well have been\nlooking for a needle or a grain of mustard-seed; and by degrees he\nbecame quite exhausted, without finding anything, when suddenly an old\nfrog jumped out. Ch\u2018\u00eang was a little startled, but immediately pursued\nthe frog, which retreated into the bushes. He then saw one of the\ninsects he wanted sitting at the root of a bramble; but on making a\ngrab at it, the cricket ran into a hole, from which he was unable to\nmove it until he poured in some water, when out the little creature\ncame. It was a magnificent specimen, strong and handsome, with a fine\ntail, green neck, and golden wings; and, putting it in his basket, he\nreturned home in high glee to receive the congratulations of his\nfamily. He would not have taken anything for this cricket, and\nproceeded to feed it up carefully in a bowl. Its belly was the colour\nof a crab\u2019s, its back that of a sweet chestnut; and Ch\u2018\u00eang tended it\nmost lovingly, waiting for the time when the magistrate should call\nupon him for a cricket.\n\nMeanwhile, a son of Ch\u2018\u00eang\u2019s, aged nine, one day took the opportunity\nof his father being out to open the bowl. Instantaneously the cricket\nmade a spring forward and was gone; and all efforts to catch it again\nwere unavailing. At length the boy made a grab at it with his hand,\nbut only succeeded in seizing one of its legs, which thereupon broke,\nand the little creature soon afterwards died. Ch\u2018\u00eang\u2019s wife turned\ndeadly pale when her son, with tears in his eyes, told her what had\nhappened. \u201cOh! won\u2019t you catch it when your father comes home,\u201d said\nshe; at which the boy ran away, crying bitterly. Soon after Ch\u2018\u00eang\narrived, and when he heard his wife\u2019s story he felt as if he had been\nturned to ice, and went in search of his son, who, however, was\nnowhere to be found, until at length they discovered his body lying at\nthe bottom of a well. Their anger was thus turned to grief, and death\nseemed as though it would be a pleasant relief to them as they sat\nfacing each other in silence in their thatched and smokeless[19] hut.\nAt evening they prepared to bury the boy; but, on touching the body,\nlo! he was still breathing. Overjoyed, they placed him upon the bed,\nand towards the middle of the night he came round; but a drop of\nbitterness was mingled in his parents\u2019 cup when they found that his\nreason had fled. His father, however, caught sight of the empty bowl\nin which he had kept the cricket, and ceased to think any more about\nhis son, never once closing his eyes all night; and as day gradually\nbroke, there he lay stiff and stark, until suddenly he heard the\nchirping of a cricket outside the house door. Jumping up in a great\nhurry to see, there was his lost insect; but, on trying to catch it,\naway it hopped directly. At last he got it under his hand, though,\nwhen he came to close his fingers on it, there was nothing in them. So\nhe went on, chasing it up and down, until finally it hopped into a\ncorner of the wall; and then, looking carefully about, he espied it\nonce more, no longer the same in appearance, but small, and of a dark\nred colour. Ch\u2018\u00eang stood looking at it, without trying to catch such a\nworthless specimen, when all of a sudden the little creature hopped\ninto his sleeve; and, on examining it more nearly, he saw that it\nreally was a handsome insect, with well-formed head and neck, and\nforthwith took it indoors. He was now anxious to try its prowess; and\nit so happened that a young fellow of the village, who had a fine\ncricket which used to win every bout it fought, and was so valuable to\nhim that he wanted a high price for it, called on Ch\u2018\u00eang that very\nday. He laughed heartily at Ch\u2018\u00eang\u2019s champion, and, producing his own,\nplaced it side by side, to the great disadvantage of the former.\nCh\u2018\u00eang\u2019s countenance fell, and he no longer wished to back his\ncricket; however, the young fellow urged him, and he thought that\nthere was no use in rearing a feeble insect, and that he had better\nsacrifice it for a laugh; so they put them together in a bowl. The\nlittle cricket lay quite still like a piece of wood, at which the\nyoung fellow roared again, and louder than ever when it did not move\neven though tickled with a pig\u2019s bristle. By dint of tickling it was\nroused at last, and then it fell upon its adversary with such fury,\nthat in a moment the young fellow\u2019s cricket would have been killed\noutright had not its master interfered and stopped the fight. The\nlittle cricket then stood up and chirped to Ch\u2018\u00eang as a sign of\nvictory; and Ch\u2018\u00eang, overjoyed, was just talking over the battle with\nthe young fellow, when a cock caught sight of the insect, and ran up\nto eat it. Ch\u2018\u00eang was in a great state of alarm; but the cock luckily\nmissed its aim, and the cricket hopped away, its enemy pursuing at\nfull speed. In another moment it would have been snapped up, when, lo!\nto his great astonishment, Ch\u2018\u00eang saw his cricket seated on the cock\u2019s\nhead, holding firmly on to its comb. He then put it into a cage, and\nby-and-by sent it to the magistrate, who, seeing what a small one he\nhad provided, was very angry indeed. Ch\u2018\u00eang told the story of the\ncock, which the magistrate refused to believe, and set it to fight\nwith other crickets, all of which it vanquished without exception. He\nthen tried it with a cock, and as all turned out as Ch\u2018\u00eang had said,\nhe gave him a present, and sent the cricket in to the Governor. The\nGovernor put it into a golden cage, and forwarded it to the palace,\naccompanied by some remarks on its performances; and when there, it\nwas found that of all the splendid collection of His Imperial Majesty,\nnot one was worthy to be placed alongside of this one. It would dance\nin time to music, and thus became a great favourite, the Emperor in\nreturn bestowing magnificent gifts of horses and silks upon the\nGovernor. The Governor did not forget whence he had obtained the\ncricket, and the magistrate also well rewarded Ch\u2018\u00eang by excusing him\nfrom the duties of beadle, and by instructing the Literary Chancellor\nto pass him for the first degree. A few months afterwards Ch\u2018\u00eang\u2019s son\nrecovered his intellect, and said that he had been a cricket, and had\nproved himself a very skilful fighter.[20] The Governor, too, rewarded\nCh\u2018\u00eang handsomely, and in a few years he was a rich man, with flocks,\nand herds, and houses, and acres, quite one of the wealthiest of\nmankind.\n\n\nFOOTNOTES:\n\n[17] Of the Ming dynasty; reigned A.D. 1426-1436.\n\n[18] These beadles are chosen by the officials from among the\nrespectable and substantial of the people to preside over a small area\nand be responsible for the general good behaviour of its inhabitants.\nThe post is one of honour and occasional emolument, since all\npetitions presented to the authorities, all mortgages, transfers of\nland, &c., should bear the beadle\u2019s seal or signature in evidence of\ntheir _bon\u00e2 fide_ character. On the other hand, the beadle is punished\nby fine, and sometimes bambooed, if robberies are too frequent within\nhis jurisdiction, or if he fails to secure the person of any\nmalefactor particularly wanted by his superior officers. And other\ncauses may combine to make the post a dangerous one; but no one is\nallowed to refuse acceptance of it point-blank.\n\n[19] A favourite Chinese expression, signifying the absence of food.\n\n[20] That is to say, his spirit had entered, during his period of\ntemporary insanity, into the cricket which had allowed itself to be\ncaught by his father, and had animated it to fight with such\nextraordinary vigour in order to make good the loss occasioned by his\ncarelessness in letting the other escape.\n\n\n\n\nLXV.\n\nTAKING REVENGE.\n\n\nHsiang Kao, otherwise called Ch\u2018u-tan, was a T\u2018ai-y\u00fcan man, and deeply\nattached to his half-brother Sh\u00eang. Sh\u00eang himself was desperately\nenamoured of a young lady named Po-ss\u016d,[21] who was also very fond of\nhim: but the mother wanted too much money for her daughter. Now a rich\nyoung fellow named Chuang thought he should like to get Po-ss\u016d for\nhimself, and proposed to buy her as a concubine. \u201cNo, no,\u201d said Po-ss\u016d\nto her mother, \u201cI prefer being Sh\u00eang\u2019s wife to becoming Chuang\u2019s\nconcubine.\u201d So her mother consented, and informed Sh\u00eang, who had only\nrecently buried his first wife; at which he was delighted and made\npreparations to take her over to his own house. When Chuang heard this\nhe was infuriated against Sh\u00eang for thus depriving him of Po-ss\u016d; and\nchancing to meet him out one day, set to and abused him roundly.\nSh\u00eang answered him back, and then Chuang ordered his attendants to\nfall upon Sh\u00eang and beat him well, which they did, leaving him\nlifeless on the ground. When Hsiang heard what had taken place he ran\nout and found his brother lying dead upon the ground. Overcome with\ngrief, he proceeded to the magistrate\u2019s, and accused Chuang of murder;\nbut the latter bribed so heavily that nothing came of the accusation.\nThis worked Hsiang to frenzy, and he determined to assassinate Chuang\non the high road; with which intent he daily concealed himself, with a\nsharp knife about him, among the bushes on the hill-side, waiting for\nChuang to pass. By degrees, this plan of his became known far and\nwide, and accordingly Chuang never went out except with a strong\nbody-guard, besides which he engaged at a high price the services of a\nvery skilful archer, named Chiao T\u2018ung, so that Hsiang had no means of\ncarrying out his intention. However, he continued to lie in wait day\nafter day, and on one occasion it began to rain heavily, and in a\nshort time Hsiang was wet through to the skin. Then the wind got up,\nand a hailstorm followed, and by-and-by Hsiang was quite numbed with\nthe cold. On the top of the hill there was a small temple wherein\nlived a Taoist priest, whom Hsiang knew from the latter having\noccasionally begged alms in the village, and to whom he had often\ngiven a meal. This priest, seeing how wet he was, gave him some other\nclothes, and told him to put them on; but no sooner had he done so\nthan he crouched down like a dog, and found that he had been changed\ninto a tiger, and that the priest had vanished. It now occurred to him\nto seize this opportunity of revenging himself upon his enemy; and\naway he went to his old ambush, where lo and behold! he found his own\nbody lying stiff and stark. Fearing lest it should become food for\nbirds of prey, he guarded it carefully, until at length one day Chuang\npassed by. Out rushed the tiger and sprung upon Chuang, biting his\nhead off, and swallowing it upon the spot; at which Chiao T\u2018ung, the\narcher, turned round and shot the animal through the heart. Just at\nthat moment Hsiang awaked as though from a dream, but it was some time\nbefore he could crawl home, where he arrived to the great delight of\nhis family, who didn\u2019t know what had become of him. Hsiang said not a\nword, lying quietly on the bed until some of his people came in to\ncongratulate him on the death of his great enemy Chuang. Hsiang then\ncried out, \u201cI was that tiger,\u201d and proceeded to relate the whole\nstory, which thus got about until it reached the ears of Chuang\u2019s son,\nwho immediately set to work to bring his father\u2019s murderer to justice.\nThe magistrate, however, did not consider this wild story as\nsufficient evidence against him, and thereupon dismissed the case.\n\n\nFOOTNOTE:\n\n[21] This is the term used by the Chinese for \u201cPersia,\u201d often put by\nmetonymy for things which come from that country, _sc._ \u201cvaluables.\u201d\nThus, \u201cto be poor in Persia\u201d is to have but few jewels, gold and\nsilver ornaments, and even clothes.\n\n\n\n\nLXVI.\n\nTHE TIPSY TURTLE.\n\n\nAt Lin-t\u2018iao there lived a Mr. F\u00eang, whose other name the person who\ntold me this story could not remember; he belonged to a good family,\nthough now somewhat falling into decay. Now a certain man, who caught\nturtles, owed him some money which he could not pay, but whenever he\ncaptured any turtles he used to send one to Mr. F\u00eang. One day he took\nhim an enormous creature, with a white spot on its forehead; but F\u00eang\nwas so struck with something in its appearance, that he let it go\nagain. A little while afterwards he was returning home from his\nson-in-law\u2019s, and had reached the banks of the river,[22] when in the\ndusk of the evening he saw a drunken man come rolling along, attended\nby two or three servants. No sooner did he perceive F\u00eang than he\ncalled out, \u201cWho are you?\u201d to which F\u00eang replied that he was a\ntraveller. \u201cAnd haven\u2019t you got a name?\u201d shouted out the drunken man\nin a rage, \u201cthat you must call yourself a traveller?\u201d To this F\u00eang\nmade no reply, but tried to pass by; whereupon he found himself seized\nby the sleeve and unable to move. His adversary smelt horribly of\nwine, and at length F\u00eang asked him, saying, \u201cAnd pray who are you?\u201d\n\u201cOh, I am the late magistrate at Nan-tu,\u201d answered he; \u201cwhat do you\nwant to know for?\u201d \u201cA nice disgrace to society you are, too,\u201d cried\nF\u00eang; \u201chowever, I am glad to hear you are only _late_ magistrate, for\nif you had been present magistrate there would be bad times in store\nfor travellers.\u201d This made the drunken man furious, and he was\nproceeding to use violence, when F\u00eang cried out, \u201cMy name is\nSo-and-so, and I\u2019m not the man to stand this sort of thing from\nanybody.\u201d No sooner had he uttered these words than the drunken man\u2019s\nrage was turned into joy, and, falling on his knees before F\u00eang, he\nsaid, \u201cMy benefactor! pray excuse my rudeness.\u201d Then getting up, he\ntold his servants to go on ahead and get something ready; F\u00eang at\nfirst declining to go with him, but yielding on being pressed. Taking\nhis hand, the drunken man led him along a short distance until they\nreached a village, where there was a very nice house and grounds,\nquite like the establishment of a person of position. As his friend\nwas now getting sober, F\u00eang inquired what might be his name. \u201cDon\u2019t be\nfrightened when I tell you,\u201d said the other; \u201cI am the Eighth Prince\nof the T\u2018iao river. I have just been out to take wine with a friend,\nand somehow I got tipsy; hence my bad behaviour to you, which please\nforgive.\u201d F\u00eang now knew that he was not of mortal flesh and blood;\nbut, seeing how kindly he himself was treated, he was not a bit\nafraid. A banquet followed, with plenty of wine, of which the Eighth\nPrince drank so freely that F\u00eang thought he would soon be worse than\never, and accordingly said he felt tipsy himself, and asked to be\nallowed to go to bed. \u201cNever fear,\u201d answered the Prince, who perceived\nF\u00eang\u2019s thoughts; \u201cmany drunkards will tell you that they cannot\nremember in the morning the extravagances of the previous night, but I\ntell you this is all nonsense, and that in nine cases out of ten those\nextravagances are committed wittingly and with malice prepense.[23]\nNow, though I am not the same order of being as yourself, I should\nnever venture to behave badly in your good presence; so pray do not\nleave me thus.\u201d F\u00eang then sat down again and said to the Prince,\n\u201cSince you are aware of this, why not change your ways?\u201d \u201cAh,\u201d replied\nthe Prince, \u201cwhen I was a magistrate I drank much more than I do now;\nbut I got into disgrace with the Emperor and was banished here, since\nwhich time, ten years and more, I have tried to reform. Now, however,\nI am drawing near the wood,[24] and being unable to move about much,\nthe old vice has come upon me again; I have found it impossible to\nstop myself, but perhaps what you say may do me some good.\u201d While they\nwere thus talking, the sound of a distant bell broke upon their ears;\nand the Prince, getting up and seizing F\u00eang\u2019s hand, said, \u201cWe cannot\nremain together any longer; but I will give you something by which I\nmay in part requite your kindness to me. It must not be kept for any\ngreat length of time; when you have attained your wishes, then I will\nreceive it back again.\u201d Thereupon he spit out of his mouth a tiny man,\nno more than an inch high, and scratching F\u00eang\u2019s arm with his nails\nuntil F\u00eang felt as if the skin was gone, he quickly laid the little\nman upon the spot. When he let go, the latter had already sunk into\nthe skin, and nothing was to be seen but a cicatrix well healed over.\nF\u00eang now asked what it all meant, but the Prince only laughed, and\nsaid, \u201cIt\u2019s time for you to go,\u201d and forthwith escorted him to the\ndoor. The prince here bade him adieu, and when he looked round,\nPrince, village, and house had all disappeared together, leaving\nbehind a great turtle which waddled down into the water, and\ndisappeared likewise. He could now easily account for the Prince\u2019s\npresent to him; and from this moment his sight became intensely keen.\nHe could see precious stones lying in the bowels of the earth, and was\nable to look down as far as Hell itself; besides which he suddenly\nfound that he knew the names of many things of which he had never\nheard before. From below his own bedroom he dug up many hundred ounces\nof pure silver, upon which he lived very comfortably; and once when a\nhouse was for sale, he perceived that in it lay concealed a vast\nquantity of gold, so he immediately bought it, and so became immensely\nrich in all kinds of valuables. He secured a mirror, on the back of\nwhich was a ph\u0153nix, surrounded by water and clouds, and portraits of\nthe celebrated wives of the Emperor Shun,[25] so beautifully executed\nthat each hair of the head and eyebrows could easily be counted. If\nany woman\u2019s face came upon the mirror, there it remained indelibly\nfixed and not to be rubbed out; but if the same woman looked into the\nmirror again, dressed in a different dress, or if some other woman\nchanced to look in, then the former face would gradually fade away.\n\nNow the third princess in Prince Su\u2019s family was very beautiful; and\nF\u00eang, who had long heard of her fame, concealed himself on the\nK\u2018ung-tung hill, when he knew the Princess was going there. He waited\nuntil she alighted from her chair, and then getting the mirror full\nupon her, he walked off home. Laying it on the table, he saw therein a\nlovely girl in the act of raising her handkerchief, and with a sweet\nsmile playing over her face; her lips seemed about to move, and a\ntwinkle was discernible in her eyes.[26] Delighted with this picture,\nhe put the mirror very carefully away; but in about a year his wife\nhad let the story leak out, and the Prince, hearing of it, threw F\u00eang\ninto prison, and took possession of the mirror. F\u00eang was to be\nbeheaded; however, he bribed one of the Prince\u2019s ladies to tell His\nHighness that if he would pardon him all the treasures of the earth\nmight easily become his; whereas, on the other hand, his death could\nnot possibly be of any advantage to the Prince. The Prince now thought\nof confiscating all his goods and banishing him; but the third\nprincess observed, that as he had already seen her, were he to die ten\ntimes over it would not give her back her lost face, and that she had\nmuch better marry him. The Prince would not hear of this, whereupon\nhis daughter shut herself up and refused all nourishment, at which the\nladies of the palace were dreadfully alarmed, and reported it at once\nto the Prince. F\u00eang was accordingly liberated, and was informed of the\ndetermination of the Princess, which, however, he declined to fall in\nwith, saying that he was not going thus to sacrifice the wife of his\ndays of poverty,[27] and would rather die than carry out such an\norder. He added that if His Highness would consent, he would purchase\nhis liberty at the price of everything he had. The Prince was\nexceedingly angry at this, and seized F\u00eang again; and meanwhile one of\nthe concubines got F\u00eang\u2019s wife into the palace, intending to poison\nher. F\u00eang\u2019s wife, however, brought her a beautiful present of a coral\nstand for a looking-glass, and was so agreeable in her conversation,\nthat the concubine took a great fancy to her, and presented her to the\nPrincess, who was equally pleased, and forthwith determined that they\nwould both be F\u00eang\u2019s wives.[28] When F\u00eang heard of this plan, he said\nto his wife, \u201cWith a Prince\u2019s daughter there can be no distinctions of\nfirst and second wife;\u201d but Mrs. F\u00eang paid no heed to him, and\nimmediately sent off to the Prince such an enormous quantity of\nvaluables that it took a thousand men to carry them, and the Prince\nhimself had never before heard of such treasures in his life. F\u00eang was\nnow liberated once more, and solemnized his marriage with the\nPrincess.\n\nOne night after this he dreamt that the Eighth Prince came to him and\nasked him to return his former present, saying that to keep it too\nlong would be injurious to his chances of life. F\u00eang asked him to\ntake a drink, but the Eighth Prince said that he had forsworn wine,\nacting under F\u00eang\u2019s advice, for three years. He then bit F\u00eang\u2019s arm,\nand the latter waked up with the pain to find that the cicatrix on his\narm was no longer there.\n\n\nFOOTNOTES:\n\n[22] The name here used is the _H\u00eang_ or \u201cceaseless\u201d river, which is\napplied by the Chinese to the Ganges. A certain number, extending to\nfifty-three places of figures, is called \u201cGanges sand,\u201d in allusion to\na famous remark that \u201cBuddha and the B\u00f4dhisatvas knew of the creation\nand destruction of every grain of dust in Jambudwipa (the universe);\nhow much more the number of the sand-particles in the river Ganges?\u201d\n\n[23] Drunkenness is not recognised in China as an extenuating\ncircumstance; neither, indeed, is insanity,--a lunatic who takes\nanother man\u2019s life being equally liable with ordinary persons to the\nforfeiture of his own.\n\n[24] A favourite Chinese figure expressive of old age. It dates back\nto the celebrated commentary by Tso Ch\u2018iu Ming on Confucius\u2019 _Spring\nand Autumn_ (See No. XLI., note 237):--\u201cHsi is twenty-three and I am\ntwenty-five; and marrying thus we shall approach the wood together;\u201d\nthe \u201cwood\u201d being, of course, that of the coffin.\n\n[25] See No. VIII., note 63.\n\n[26]\n\n \u201c... Move these eyes?\n ... Here are severed lips.\u201d\n\n --_Merchant of Venice_, Act iii., sc. 2.\n\n[27] See No. LIII., note 288.\n\n[28] This method of arranging a matrimonial difficulty is a common one\nin Chinese fiction, but I should say quite unknown in real life.\n\n\n\n\nLXVII.\n\nTHE MAGIC PATH.\n\n\nIn the province of Kuangtung there lived a scholar named Kuo, who was\none evening on his way home from a friend\u2019s, when he lost his way\namong the hills. He got into a thick jungle, where, after about an\nhour\u2019s wandering, he suddenly heard the sound of laughing and talking\non the top of the hill. Hurrying up in the direction of the sound, he\nbeheld some ten or a dozen persons sitting on the ground engaged in\ndrinking. No sooner had they caught sight of Kuo than they all cried\nout, \u201cCome along! just room for one more; you\u2019re in the nick of time.\u201d\nSo Kuo sat down with the company, most of whom, he noticed, belonged\nto the literati,[29] and began by asking them to direct him on his way\nhome; but one of them cried out, \u201cA nice sort of fellow you are, to\nbe bothering about your way home, and paying no attention to the fine\nmoon we have got to-night.\u201d The speaker then presented him with a\ngoblet of wine of exquisite bouquet, which Kuo drank off at a draught,\nand another gentleman filled up again for him at once. Now, Kuo was\npretty good in that line, and being very thirsty withal from his long\nwalk, tossed off bumper after bumper, to the great delight of his\nhosts, who were unanimous in voting him a jolly good fellow. He was,\nmoreover, full of fun, and could imitate exactly the note of any kind\nof bird; so all of a sudden he began on the sly to twitter like a\nswallow, to the great astonishment of the others, who wondered how it\nwas a swallow could be out so late. He then changed his note to that\nof a cuckoo, sitting there laughing and saying nothing, while his\nhosts were discussing the extraordinary sounds they had just heard.\nAfter a while he imitated a parrot, and cried, \u201cMr. Kuo is very drunk:\nyou\u2019d better see him home;\u201d and then the sounds ceased, beginning\nagain by-and-by, when at last the others found out who it was, and all\nburst out laughing. They screwed up their mouths and tried to whistle\nlike Kuo, but none of them could do so; and soon one of them observed,\n\u201cWhat a pity Madam Ch\u2018ing isn\u2019t with us: we must rendezvous here again\nat mid-autumn, and you, Mr. Kuo, must be sure and come.\u201d Kuo said he\nwould, whereupon another of his hosts got up and remarked that, as he\nhad given them such an amusing entertainment, they would try to shew\nhim a few acrobatic feats. They all arose, and one of them planting\nhis feet firmly, a second jumped up on to his shoulders, a third on to\nthe second\u2019s shoulders, and a fourth on to his, until it was too high\nfor the rest to jump up, and accordingly they began to climb as though\nit had been a ladder. When they were all up, and the topmost head\nseemed to touch the clouds, the whole column bent gradually down until\nit lay along the ground transformed into a path. Kuo remained for some\ntime in a state of considerable alarm, and then, setting out along\nthis path, ultimately reached his own home. Some days afterwards he\nrevisited the spot, and saw the remains of a feast lying about on the\nground, with dense bushes on all sides, but no sign of a path. At\nmid-autumn he thought of keeping his engagement; however, his friends\npersuaded him not to go.\n\n\nFOOTNOTE:\n\n[29] This term, while really including all literary men, of no matter\nwhat rank or standing, is more usually confined to that large section\nof unemployed scholarship made up of (1) those who are waiting to get\nstarted in an official career, (2) those who have taken one or more\ndegrees and are preparing for the next, (3) those who have failed to\ndistinguish themselves at the public examinations, and eke out a small\npatrimony by taking pupils, and (4) scholars of sufficiently high\nqualifications who have no taste for official life.\n\n\n\n\nLXVIII.\n\nTHE FAITHLESS WIDOW.[30]\n\n\nMr. Niu was a Kiangsi man who traded in piece goods. He married a wife\nfrom the Ch\u00eang family, by whom he had two children, a boy and a girl.\nWhen thirty-three years of age he fell ill and died, his son Chung\nbeing then only twelve and his little girl eight or nine. His wife did\nnot remain faithful to his memory, but, selling off all the property,\npocketed the proceeds and married another man, leaving her two\nchildren almost in a state of destitution with their aunt, Niu\u2019s\nsister-in-law, an old lady of sixty, who had lived with them\npreviously, and had now nowhere to seek a shelter. A few years later\nthis aunt died, and the family fortunes began to sink even lower than\nbefore; Chung, however, was now grown up, and determined to carry on\nhis father\u2019s trade, only he had no capital to start with. His sister\nmarrying a rich trader named Mao, she begged her husband to lend Chung\nten ounces of silver, which he did, and Chung immediately started for\nNanking. On the road he fell in with some bandits, who robbed him of\nall he had, and consequently he was unable to return; but one day when\nhe was at a pawnshop he noticed that the master of the shop was\nwonderfully like his late father, and on going out and making\ninquiries he found that this pawnbroker bore precisely the same names.\nIn great astonishment, he forthwith proceeded to frequent the place\nwith no other object than to watch this man, who, on the other hand,\ntook no notice of Chung; and by the end of three days, having\nsatisfied himself that he really saw his own father, and yet not\ndaring to disclose his own identity, he made application through one\nof the assistants, on the score of being himself a Kiangsi man, to be\nemployed in the shop. Accordingly, an indenture was drawn up; and when\nthe master noticed Chung\u2019s name and place of residence he started, and\nasked him whence he came. With tears in his eyes Chung addressed him\nby his father\u2019s name, and then the pawnbroker became lost in a deep\nreverie, by-and-by asking Chung how his mother was. Now Chung did not\nlike to allude to his father\u2019s death, and turned the question by\nsaying, \u201cMy father went away on business six years ago, and never came\nback; my mother married again and left us, and had it not been for my\naunt our corpses would long ago have been cast out in the kennel.\u201d\nThen the pawnbroker was much moved, and cried out, \u201cI am your father!\u201d\nseizing his son\u2019s hand and leading him within to see his step-mother.\nThis lady was about twenty-two, and, having no children of her own,\nwas delighted with Chung, and prepared a banquet for him in the inner\napartments. Mr. Niu himself was, however, somewhat melancholy, and\nwished to return to his old home; but his wife, fearing that there\nwould be no one to manage the business, persuaded him to remain; so he\ntaught his son the trade, and in three months was able to leave it all\nto him. He then prepared for his journey, whereupon Chung informed his\nstep-mother that his father was really dead, to which she replied in\ngreat consternation that she knew him only as a trader to the place,\nand that six years previously he had married her, which proved\nconclusively that he couldn\u2019t be dead. He then recounted the whole\nstory, which was a perfect mystery to both of them; and twenty-four\nhours afterwards in walked his father, leading a woman whose hair was\nall dishevelled. Chung looked at her and saw that she was his own\nmother; and Niu took her by the ear and began to revile her, saying,\n\u201cWhy did you desert my children?\u201d to which the wretched woman made no\nreply. He then bit her across the neck, at which she screamed to Chung\nfor assistance, and he, not being able to bear the sight, stepped in\nbetween them. His father was more than ever enraged at this, when, lo!\nChung\u2019s mother had disappeared. While they were still lost in\nastonishment at this strange scene, Mr. Niu\u2019s colour changed; in\nanother moment his empty clothes had dropped upon the ground, and he\nhimself became a black vapour and also vanished from their sight. The\nstep-mother and son were much overcome; they took Niu\u2019s clothes and\nburied them, and after that Chung continued his father\u2019s business and\nsoon amassed great wealth. On returning to his native place he found\nthat his mother had actually died on the very day of the above\noccurrence, and that his father had been seen by the whole family.\n\n\nFOOTNOTE:\n\n[30] Unless under exceptional circumstances it is not considered\ncreditable in China for widows to marry again. It may here be\nmentioned that the honorary tablets conferred from time to time by His\nImperial Majesty upon virtuous widows are only given to women who,\nwidowed before the age of thirty, have remained in that state for a\nperiod of thirty years. The meaning of this is obvious: temptations\nare supposed to be fewer and less dangerous after thirty, which is the\nequivalent of forty with us; and it is wholly improbable that thirty\nyears of virtuous life, at which period the widow would be at least\nfifty, would be followed by any act that might cast a stain upon the\ntablet thus bestowed.\n\n\n\n\nLXIX.\n\nTHE PRINCESS OF THE TUNG-T\u2018ING LAKE.\n\n\nCh\u2018\u00ean Pi-chiao was a Pekingese; and being a poor man he attached\nhimself as secretary to the suite of a high military official named\nChia. On one occasion, while anchored on the Tung-t\u2018ing lake, they saw\na dolphin[31] floating on the surface of the water; and General Chia\ntook his bow and shot at it, wounding the creature in the back. A fish\nwas hanging on to its tail, and would not let go; so both were pulled\nout of the water together, and attached to the mast. There they lay\ngasping, the dolphin opening its mouth as if pleading for life, until\nat length young Ch\u2018\u00ean begged the General to let them go again; and\nthen he himself half jokingly put a piece of plaster upon the\ndolphin\u2019s wound, and had the two thrown back into the water, where\nthey were seen for some time afterwards diving and rising again to the\nsurface. About a year afterwards, Ch\u2018\u00ean was once more crossing the\nTung-t\u2018ing lake on his way home, when the boat was upset in a squall,\nand he himself only saved by clinging to a bamboo crate, which\nfinally, after floating about all night, caught in the overhanging\nbranch of a tree, and thus enabled him to scramble on shore.\nBy-and-by, another body floated in, and this turned out to be his\nservant; but on dragging him out, he found life was already extinct.\nIn great distress, he sat himself down to rest, and saw beautiful\ngreen hills and waving willows, but not a single human being of whom\nhe could ask the way. From early dawn till the morning was far\nadvanced he remained in that state; and then, thinking he saw his\nservant\u2019s body move, he stretched out his hand to feel it, and before\nlong the man threw up several quarts of water and recovered his\nconsciousness. They now dried their clothes in the sun, and by noon\nthese were fit to put on; at which period the pangs of hunger began to\nassail them, and accordingly they started over the hills in the hope\nof coming upon some habitation of man. As they were walking along, an\narrow whizzed past, and the next moment two young ladies dashed by on\nhandsome palfreys. Each had a scarlet band round her head, with a\nbunch of pheasant\u2019s feathers stuck in her hair, and wore a purple\nriding-jacket with small sleeves, confined by a green embroidered\ngirdle round the waist. One of them carried a cross-bow for shooting\nbullets, and the other had on her arm a dark-coloured bow-and-arrow\ncase. Reaching the brow of the hill, Ch\u2018\u00ean beheld a number of riders\nengaged in beating the surrounding cover, all of whom were beautiful\ngirls and dressed exactly alike. Afraid to advance any further, he\ninquired of a youth who appeared to be in attendance, and the latter\ntold him that it was a hunting party from the palace; and then, having\nsupplied him with food from his wallet, he bade him retire quickly,\nadding that if he fell in with them he would assuredly be put to\ndeath. Thereupon Ch\u2018\u00ean hurried away; and descending the hill, turned\ninto a copse where there was a building which he thought would in all\nprobability be a monastery. On getting nearer, he saw that the place\nwas surrounded by a wall, and between him and a half-open red-door was\na brook spanned by a stone bridge leading up to it. Pulling back the\ndoor, he beheld within a number of ornamental buildings circling in\nthe air like so many clouds, and for all the world resembling the\nImperial pleasure-grounds; and thinking it must be the park of some\nofficial personage, he walked quietly in, enjoying the delicious\nfragrance of the flowers as he pushed aside the thick vegetation which\nobstructed his way. After traversing a winding path fenced in by\nbalustrades, Ch\u2018\u00ean reached a second enclosure, wherein were a quantity\nof tall willow-trees which swept the red eaves of the buildings with\ntheir branches. The note of some bird would set the petals of the\nflowers fluttering in the air, and the least wind would bring the\nseed-vessels down from the elm-trees above; and the effect upon the\neye and heart of the beholder was something quite unknown in the world\nof mortals. Passing through a small kiosque, Ch\u2018\u00ean and his servant\ncame upon a swing which seemed as though suspended from the clouds,\nwhile the ropes hung idly down in the utter stillness that\nprevailed.[32] Thinking by this that they were approaching the ladies\u2019\napartments,[33] Ch\u2018\u00ean would have turned back, but at that moment he\nheard sounds of horses\u2019 feet at the door, and what seemed to be the\nlaughter of a bevy of girls. So he and his servant hid themselves in a\nbush; and by-and-by, as the sounds came nearer, he heard one of the\nyoung ladies say, \u201cWe\u2019ve had but poor sport to-day;\u201d whereupon another\ncried out, \u201cIf the princess hadn\u2019t shot that wild goose, we should\nhave taken all this trouble for nothing.\u201d Shortly after this, a number\nof girls dressed in red came in escorting a young lady, who went and\nsat down under the kiosque. She wore a hunting costume with tight[34]\nsleeves, and was about fourteen or fifteen years old. Her hair looked\nlike a cloud of mist at the back of her head, and her waist seemed as\nthough a breath of wind might snap it[35]--incomparable for beauty,\neven among the celebrities of old. Just then the attendants handed her\nsome exquisitely fragrant tea, and stood glittering round her like a\nbank of beautiful embroidery. In a few moments the young lady arose\nand descended the kiosque; at which one of her attendants cried out,\n\u201cIs your Highness too fatigued by riding to take a turn in the swing?\u201d\nThe princess replied that she was not; and immediately some supported\nher under the shoulders, while others seized her arms, and others\nagain arranged her petticoats, and brought her the proper shoes.[36]\nThus they helped her into the swing, she herself stretching out her\nshining arms, and putting her feet into a suitable pair of slippers;\nand then--away she went, light as a flying-swallow, far up into the\nfleecy clouds. As soon as she had had enough, the attendants helped\nher out, and one of them exclaimed, \u201cTruly, your Highness is a\nperfect angel!\u201d At this the young lady laughed, and walked away, Ch\u2018\u00ean\ngazing after her in a state of semi-consciousness, until, at length,\nthe voices died away, and he and his servant crept forth. Walking up\nand down near the swing, he suddenly espied a red handkerchief near\nthe paling, which he knew had been dropped by one of the young ladies;\nand, thrusting it joyfully into his sleeve, he walked up and entered\nthe kiosque. There, upon a table, lay writing materials, and taking\nout the handkerchief he indited upon it the following lines:--\n\n \u201cWhat form divine was just now sporting nigh?--\n \u2019Twas she, I trow of \u2018golden lily\u2019 fame;\n Her charms the moon\u2019s fair denizens might shame,\n Her fairy footsteps bear her to the sky.\u201d\n\nHumming this stanza to himself, Ch\u2018\u00ean walked along seeking for the\npath by which he had entered; but every door was securely barred, and\nhe knew not what to do. So he went back to the kiosque, when suddenly\none of the young ladies appeared, and asked him in astonishment what\nhe did there. \u201cI have lost my way,\u201d replied Ch\u2018\u00ean; \u201cI pray you lend me\nyour assistance.\u201d \u201cDo you happen to have found a red handkerchief?\u201d\nsaid the girl. \u201cI have, indeed,\u201d answered Ch\u2018\u00ean, \u201cbut I fear I have\nmade it somewhat dirty;\u201d and, suiting the action to the word, he drew\nit forth, and handed it to her. \u201cWretched man!\u201d cried the young lady,\n\u201cyou are undone. This is a handkerchief the princess is constantly\nusing, and you have gone and scribbled all over it; what will become\nof you now?\u201d Ch\u2018\u00ean was in a great fright, and begged the young lady\nto intercede for him; to which she replied, \u201cIt was bad enough that\nyou should come here and spy about; however, being a scholar, and a\nman of refinement, I would have done my best for you; but after this,\nhow am I to help you?\u201d Off she then ran with the handkerchief, while\nCh\u2018\u00ean remained behind in an agony of suspense, and longing for the\nwings of a bird to bear him away from his fate. By-and-by, the young\nlady returned and congratulated him, saying, \u201cThere is some hope for\nyou. The Princess read your verses several times over, and was not at\nall angry. You will probably be released; but, meanwhile, wait here,\nand don\u2019t climb the trees, or try to get through the walls, or you may\nnot escape after all.\u201d Evening was now drawing on, and Ch\u2018\u00ean knew not,\nfor certain, what was about to happen; at the same time he was very\nempty, and, what with hunger and anxiety, death would have been almost\na happy release. Before long, the young lady returned with a lamp in\nher hand, and followed by a slave-girl bearing wine and food, which\nshe forthwith presented to Ch\u2018\u00ean. The latter asked if there was any\nnews about himself; to which the young lady replied that she had just\nmentioned his case to the Princess who, not knowing what to do with\nhim at that hour of the night, had given orders that he should at once\nbe provided with food, \u201cwhich, at any rate,\u201d added she, \u201cis not bad\nnews.\u201d The whole night long Ch\u2018\u00ean walked up and down unable to take\nrest; and it was not till late in the morning that the young lady\nappeared with more food for him. Imploring her once more to intercede\non his behalf, she told him that the Princess had not instructed them\neither to kill or to release him, and that it would not be fitting for\nsuch as herself to be bothering the Princess with suggestions. So\nthere Ch\u2018\u00ean still remained until another day had almost gone, hoping\nfor the welcome moment; and then the young lady rushed hurriedly in,\nsaying, \u201cYou are lost! Some one has told the Queen, and she, in a fit\nof anger, threw the handkerchief on the ground, and made use of very\nviolent language. Oh dear! oh dear! I\u2019m sure something dreadful will\nhappen.\u201d Ch\u2018\u00ean threw himself on his knees, his face as pale as ashes,\nand begged to know what he should do; but at that moment sounds were\nheard outside, and the young lady waved her hand to him, and ran away.\nImmediately a crowd came pouring in through the door, with ropes ready\nto secure the object of their search; and among them was a slave-girl,\nwho looked fixedly at our hero, and cried out, \u201cWhy, surely you are\nMr. Ch\u2018\u00ean, aren\u2019t you?\u201d at the same time stopping the others from\nbinding him until she should have reported to the Queen. In a few\nminutes she came back, and said the Queen requested him to walk in;\nand in he went, through a number of doors, trembling all the time with\nfear, until he reached a hall, the screen before which was ornamented\nwith green jade and silver. A beautiful girl drew aside the bamboo\ncurtain at the door, and announced, \u201cMr. Ch\u2018\u00ean;\u201d and he himself\nadvanced, and fell down before a lady, who was sitting upon a dais at\nthe other end, knocking his head upon the ground, and crying out,\n\u201cThy servant is from a far-off country; spare, oh! spare his life.\u201d\n\u201cSir!\u201d replied the Queen, rising hastily from her seat, and extending\na hand to Ch\u2018\u00ean, \u201cbut for you, I should not be here to-day. Pray\nexcuse the rudeness of my maids.\u201d Thereupon a splendid repast was\nserved, and wine was poured out in chased goblets, to the no small\nastonishment of Ch\u2018\u00ean, who could not understand why he was treated\nthus. \u201cYour kindness,\u201d observed the Queen, \u201cin restoring me to life, I\nam quite unable to repay; however, as you have made my daughter the\nsubject of your verse, the match is clearly ordained by fate, and I\nshall send her along to be your handmaid.\u201d Ch\u2018\u00ean hardly knew what to\nmake of this extraordinary accomplishment of his wishes, but the\nmarriage was solemnized there and then; bands of music struck up\nwedding-airs, beautiful mats were laid down for them to walk upon, and\nthe whole place was brilliantly lighted with a profusion of coloured\nlamps. Then Ch\u2018\u00ean said to the Princess, \u201cThat a stray and unknown\ntraveller like myself, guilty of spoiling your Highness\u2019s\nhandkerchief, should have escaped the fate he deserved, was already\nmore than could be expected; but now to receive you in marriage--this,\nindeed, far surpasses my wildest expectations.\u201d \u201cMy mother,\u201d replied\nthe Princess, \u201cis married to the King of this lake, and is herself a\ndaughter of the River Prince. Last year, when on her way to visit her\nparents, she happened to cross the lake, and was wounded by an arrow;\nbut you saved her life, and gave her plaster for the wound. Our\nfamily, therefore, is grateful to you, and can never forget your good\nact. And do not regard me as of another species than yourself; the\nDragon King has bestowed upon me the elixir of immortality, and this I\nwill gladly share with you.\u201d Then Ch\u2018\u00ean knew that his wife was a\nspirit, and by-and-by he asked her how the slave-girl had recognised\nhim; to which she replied, that the girl was the small fish which had\nbeen found hanging to the dolphin\u2019s tail. He then inquired why, as\nthey didn\u2019t intend to kill him, he had been kept so long a prisoner.\n\u201cI was charmed with your literary talent,\u201d answered the Princess, \u201cbut\nI did not venture to take the responsibility upon myself; and no one\nsaw how I tossed and turned the livelong night.\u201d \u201cDear friend,\u201d said\nCh\u2018\u00ean; \u201cbut, come, tell me who was it that brought my food.\u201d \u201cA trusty\nwaiting-maid of mine,\u201d replied the Princess; \u201cher name is A-nien.\u201d\nCh\u2018\u00ean then asked how he could ever repay her, and the Princess told\nhim there would be plenty of time to think of that; and when he\ninquired where the king, her father, was, she said he had gone off\nwith the God of War to fight against Ch\u2018ih-yu,[37] and had not\nreturned. A few days passed, and Ch\u2018\u00ean began to think his people at\nhome would be anxious about him; so he sent off his servant with a\nletter to tell them he was safe and sound, at which they were all\noverjoyed, believing him to have been lost in the wreck of the boat,\nof which event news had already reached them. However, they were\nunable to send him any reply, and were considerably distressed as to\nhow he would find his way home again. Six months afterwards Ch\u2018\u00ean\nhimself appeared, dressed in fine clothes, and riding on a splendid\nhorse, with plenty of money, and valuable jewels in his\npocket--evidently a man of wealth. From that time forth he kept up a\nmagnificent establishment; and in seven or eight years had become the\nfather of five children. Every day he kept open house, and if any one\nasked him about his adventures, he would readily tell them without\nreservation. Now a friend of his, named Liang, whom he had known since\nthey were boys together, and who, after holding an appointment for\nsome years in Nan-fu, was crossing the Tung-t\u2018ing Lake, on his way\nhome, suddenly beheld an ornamental barge, with carved wood-work and\nred windows, passing over the foamy waves to the sound of music and\nsinging from within. Just then a beautiful young lady leant out of one\nof the windows, which she had pushed open, and by her side Liang saw a\nyoung man sitting, in a _n\u00e9glig\u00e9_ attitude, while two nice-looking\ngirls stood by and shampooed[38] him. Liang, at first, thought it\nmust be the party of some high official, and wondered at the scarcity\nof attendants;[39] but, on looking more closely at the young man, he\nsaw it was no other than his old friend Ch\u2018\u00ean. Thereupon he began\nalmost involuntarily to shout out to him; and when Ch\u2018\u00ean heard his own\nname, he stopped the rowers, and walked out towards the\nfigure-head,[40] beckoning Liang to cross over into his boat, where\nthe remains of their feast was quickly cleared away, and fresh\nsupplies of wine, and tea, and all kinds of costly foods spread out by\nhandsome slave-girls. \u201cIt\u2019s ten years since we met,\u201d said Liang, \u201cand\nwhat a rich man you have become in the meantime.\u201d \u201cWell,\u201d replied\nCh\u2018\u00ean, \u201cdo you think that so very extraordinary for a poor fellow like\nme?\u201d Liang then asked him who was the lady with whom he was taking\nwine, and Ch\u2018\u00ean said she was his wife, which very much astonished\nLiang, who further inquired whither they were going. \u201cWestwards,\u201d\nanswered Ch\u2018\u00ean, and prevented any further questions by giving a signal\nfor the music, which effectually put a stop to all further\nconversation.[41] By-and-by, Liang found the wine getting into his\nhead, and seized the opportunity to ask Ch\u2018\u00ean to make him a present\nof one of his beautiful slave-girls. \u201cYou are drunk,[42] my friend,\u201d\nreplied Ch\u2018\u00ean; \u201chowever, I will give you the price of one as a pledge\nof our old friendship.\u201d And, turning to a servant, he bade him present\nLiang with a splendid pearl, saying, \u201cNow you can buy a Green\nPearl;[43] you see I am not stingy;\u201d adding forthwith, \u201cbut I am\npressed for time, and can stay no longer with my old friend.\u201d So he\nescorted Liang back to his boat, and, having let go the rope,\nproceeded on his way. Now, when Liang reached home, and called at\nCh\u2018\u00ean\u2019s house, whom should he see but Ch\u2018\u00ean himself drinking with a\nparty of friends. \u201cWhy, I saw you only yesterday,\u201d cried Liang, \u201cupon\nthe Tung-t\u2018ing. How quickly you have got back!\u201d Ch\u2018\u00ean denied this, and\nthen Liang repeated the whole story, at the conclusion of which, Ch\u2018\u00ean\nlaughed, and said, \u201cYou must be mistaken. Do you imagine I can be in\ntwo places at once?\u201d The company were all much astonished, and knew\nnot what to make of it; and subsequently when Ch\u2018\u00ean, who died at the\nage of eighty, was being carried to his grave, the bearers thought the\ncoffin seemed remarkably light, and on opening it to see, found that\nthe body had disappeared.\n\n\nFOOTNOTES:\n\n[31] Literally, a \u201cpig old-woman dragon.\u201d Porpoise (Fr.\n_porc-poisson_) suggests itself at once; but I think fresh-water\ndolphin is the best term, especially as the Tung-t\u2018ing lake is many\nhundred miles inland. The commentator explains it by _t\u2018o_, which\nwould be \u201calligator\u201d or \u201ccayman,\u201d and is of course out of the\nquestion. My friend, Mr. L. C. Hopkins, has taken the trouble to make\nsome investigations for me on this subject. He tells me that this\nfish, also called the \u201criver pig,\u201d has first to be surrounded and\nsecured by a strong net. Being too large to be hauled on board a boat,\nit is then driven ashore, where oil is extracted from the carcase and\nused for giving a gloss to silk thread, &c.\n\n[32] Literally, in the utter absence of anybody.\n\n[33] In passing near to the women\u2019s quarters in a friend\u2019s house, it\nis etiquette to cough slightly, that inmates may be warned and\nwithdraw from the doors or windows in time to escape observation. Over\nand over again at interviews with mandarins of all grades I have heard\nthe rustling of the ladies\u2019 dresses from some coigne of vantage,\nwhence every movement of mine was being watched by an inquisitive\ncrowd; and on one occasion I actually saw an eye peering through a\nsmall hole in the partition behind me.\n\n[34] Literally, \u201cbald\u201d--_i.e._, without the usual width and\nornamentation of a Chinese lady\u2019s sleeve.\n\n[35] Small waists are much admired in China, but any such artificial\naids as stays and tight lacing are quite unknown. A certain Prince Wei\nadmitted none but the possessors of small waists into his harem; hence\nhis establishment came to be called the _Palace of Small Waists_.\n\n[36] Probably of felt or some such material, to prevent the young lady\nfrom slipping as she stood, not sat, in the swing.\n\n[37] A rebel chieftain of the legendary period of China\u2019s history, who\ntook up arms against the Emperor Huang Ti (B.C. 2697-2597), but was\nsubsequently defeated in what was perhaps the first decisive battle of\nthe world.\n\n[38] This favourite process consists in gently thumping the person\noperated upon all over the back with the soft part of the closed\nfists. Compare Lane, _Arabian Nights_, Vol. I., p. 551:--\u201cShe then\npressed me to her bosom, and laid me on the bed, and continued gently\nkneading my limbs until slumber overcame me.\u201d\n\n[39] See No. LVI., note 315. A considerable number of the attendants\nthere mentioned would accompany any high official, some in the same,\nthe rest in another barge.\n\n[40] Generally known as the \u201ccut-wave God.\u201d\n\n[41] At all great banquets in China a theatrical troupe is engaged to\nperform while the dinner, which may last from four to six hours, drags\nits slow length along.\n\n[42] See No. LIV., note 292.\n\n[43] The name of a celebrated beauty.\n\n\n\n\nLXX.\n\nTHE PRINCESS LILY.\n\n\nAt Chiao-chou there lived a man named Tou Hs\u00fcn, otherwise known as\nHsiao-hui. One day he had just dropped off to sleep when he beheld a\nman in serge clothes standing by the bedside, and apparently anxious\nto communicate something to him. Tou inquired his errand; to which the\nman replied that he was the bearer of an invitation from his master.\n\u201cAnd who is your master?\u201d asked Tou. \u201cOh, he doesn\u2019t live far off,\u201d\nreplied the other; so away they went together, and after some time\ncame to a place where there were innumerable white houses rising one\nabove the other, and shaded by dense groves of lemon-trees. They\nthreaded their way past countless doors, not at all similar to those\nusually used, and saw a great many official-looking men and women\npassing and repassing, each of whom called out to the man in serge,\n\u201cHas Mr. Tou come?\u201d to which he always replied in the affirmative.\nHere a mandarin met them and escorted Tou into a palace, upon which\nthe latter remarked, \u201cThis is really very kind of you; but I haven\u2019t\nthe honour of knowing you, and I feel somewhat diffident about going\nin.\u201d \u201cOur Prince,\u201d answered his guide, \u201chas long heard of you as a\nman of good family and excellent principles, and is very anxious to\nmake your acquaintance.\u201d \u201cWho is your Prince?\u201d inquired Tou. \u201cYou\u2019ll\nsee for yourself in a moment,\u201d said the other; and just then out came\ntwo girls with banners, and guided Tou through a great number of doors\nuntil they came to a throne, upon which sat the Prince. His Highness\nimmediately descended to meet him, and made him take the seat of\nhonour; after which ceremony exquisite viands of all kinds were spread\nout before them. Looking up, Tou noticed a scroll, on which was\ninscribed, _The Cassia Court_, and he was just beginning to feel\npuzzled as to what he should say next, when the Prince addressed him\nas follows:--\u201cThe honour of having you for a neighbour is, as it were,\na bond of affinity between us. Let us, then, give ourselves up to\nenjoyment, and put away suspicion and fear.\u201d Tou murmured his\nacquiescence; and when the wine had gone round several times there\narose from a distance the sound of pipes and singing, unaccompanied,\nhowever, by the usual drum, and very much subdued in volume. Thereupon\nthe Prince looked about him and cried out, \u201cWe are about to set a\nverse for any of you gentlemen to cap; here you are:--\u2018_Genius seeks\nthe Cassia Court_.\u2019\u201d While the courtiers were all engaged in thinking\nof some fit antithesis,[44] Tou added, \u201c_Refinement loves the Lily\nflower_;\u201d upon which the Prince exclaimed, \u201cHow strange! Lily is my\ndaughter\u2019s name; and, after such a coincidence, she must come in for\nyou to see her.\u201d In a few moments the tinkling of her ornaments and a\ndelicious fragrance of musk announced the arrival of the Princess, who\nwas between sixteen and seventeen and endowed with surpassing beauty.\nThe Prince bade her make an obeisance to Tou, at the same time\nintroducing her as his daughter Lily; and as soon as the ceremony was\nover the young lady moved away. Tou remained in a state of\nstupefaction, and, when the Prince proposed that they should pledge\neach other in another bumper, paid not the slightest attention to what\nhe said. Then the Prince, perceiving what had distracted his guest\u2019s\nattention, remarked that he was anxious to find a consort for his\ndaughter, but that unfortunately there was the difficulty of\n_species_, and he didn\u2019t know what to do; but again Tou took no notice\nof what the Prince was saying, until at length one of the bystanders\nplucked his sleeve, and asked him if he hadn\u2019t seen that the Prince\nwished to drink with him, and had just been addressing some remarks to\nhim. Thereupon Tou started, and, recovering himself at once, rose from\nthe table and apologized to the Prince for his rudeness, declaring\nthat he had taken so much wine he didn\u2019t know what he was doing.\n\u201cBesides,\u201d said he, \u201cyour Highness has doubtless business to transact;\nI will therefore take my leave.\u201d \u201cI am extremely pleased to have seen\nyou,\u201d replied the Prince, \u201cand only regret that you are in such a\nhurry to be gone. However, I won\u2019t detain you now; but, if you don\u2019t\nforget all about us, I shall be very glad to invite you here again.\u201d\nHe then gave orders that Tou should be escorted home; and on the way\none of the courtiers asked the latter why he had said nothing when the\nPrince had spoken of a consort for his daughter, as his Highness had\nevidently made the remark with an eye to securing Tou as his\nson-in-law. The latter was now sorry that he had missed his\nopportunity; meanwhile they reached his house, and he himself awoke.\nThe sun had already set, and there he sat in the gloom thinking of\nwhat had happened. In the evening he put out his candle, hoping to\ncontinue his dream; but, alas! the thread was broken, and all he could\ndo was to pour forth his repentance in sighs. One night he was\nsleeping at a friend\u2019s house when suddenly an officer of the court\nwalked in and summoned him to appear before the Prince; so up he\njumped, and hurried off at once to the palace, where he prostrated\nhimself before the throne. The Prince raised him and made him sit\ndown, saying that since they had last met he had become aware that Tou\nwould be willing to marry his daughter, and hoped that he might be\nallowed to offer her as a handmaid. Tou rose and thanked the Prince,\nwho thereupon gave orders for a banquet to be prepared; and when they\nhad finished their wine it was announced that the Princess had\ncompleted her toilet. Immediately a bevy of young ladies came in with\nthe Princess in their midst, a red veil covering her head, and her\ntiny footsteps sounding like rippling water as they led her up to be\nintroduced to Tou. When the ceremonies were concluded, Tou said to\nthe Princess, \u201cIn your presence, Madam, it would be easy to forget\neven death itself; but, tell me, is not this all a dream?\u201d \u201cAnd how\ncan it be a dream,\u201d asked the Princess, \u201cwhen you and I are here\ntogether?\u201d\n\nNext morning Tou amused himself by helping the Princess to paint her\nface,[45] and then, seizing a girdle, began to measure the size of her\nwaist[46] and the length of her fingers and feet. \u201cAre you crazy?\u201d\ncried she, laughing; to which Tou replied, \u201cI have been deceived so\noften by dreams, that I am now making a careful record. If such it\nturns out to be, I shall still have something as a souvenir of you.\u201d\nWhile they were thus chatting a maid rushed into the room, shrieking\nout, \u201cAlas, alas! a great monster has got into the palace: the Prince\nhas fled into a side chamber: destruction is surely come upon us.\u201d Tou\nwas in a great fright when he heard this, and rushed off to see the\nPrince, who grasped his hand and, with tears in his eyes, begged him\nnot to desert them. \u201cOur relationship,\u201d cried he, \u201cwas cemented when\nHeaven sent this calamity upon us; and now my kingdom will be\noverthrown. What shall I do?\u201d Tou begged to know what was the matter;\nand then the Prince laid a despatch upon the table, telling Tou to\nopen it and make himself acquainted with its contents. This despatch\nran as follows:--\u201cThe Grand Secretary of State, Black Wings, to His\nRoyal Highness, announcing the arrival of an extraordinary monster,\nand advising the immediate removal of the Court in order to preserve\nthe vitality of the empire. A report has just been received from the\nofficer in charge of the Yellow Gate stating that, ever since the 6th\nof the 5th moon, a huge monster, 10,000 feet in length, has been lying\ncoiled up outside the entrance to the palace, and that it has already\ndevoured 13,800 and odd of your Highness\u2019s subjects, and is spreading\ndesolation far and wide. On receipt of this information your servant\nproceeded to make a reconnaissance, and there beheld a venomous\nreptile with a head as big as a mountain and eyes like vast sheets of\nwater. Every time it raised its head, whole buildings disappeared down\nits throat; and, on stretching itself out, walls and houses were alike\nlaid in ruins. In all antiquity there is no record of such a scourge.\nThe fate of our temples and ancestral halls is now a mere question of\nhours; we therefore pray your Royal Highness to depart at once with\nthe Royal Family and seek somewhere else a happier abode.\u201d[47] When\nTou had read this document his face turned ashy pale; and just then a\nmessenger rushed in, shrieking out, \u201cHere is the monster!\u201d at which\nthe whole Court burst into lamentations as if their last hour was at\nhand. The Prince was beside himself with fear; all he could do was to\nbeg Tou to look to his own safety without regarding the wife through\nwhom he was involved in their misfortunes. The Princess, however, who\nwas standing by bitterly lamenting the fate that had fallen upon them,\nbegged Tou not to desert her; and, after a moment\u2019s hesitation, he\nsaid he should be only too happy to place his own poor home at their\nimmediate disposal if they would only deign to honour him. \u201cHow can we\ntalk of _deigning_,\u201d cried the Princess, \u201cat such a moment as this? I\npray you take us there as quickly as possible.\u201d So Tou gave her his\narm, and in no time they had arrived at Tou\u2019s house, which the\nPrincess at once pronounced to be a charming place of residence, and\nbetter even than their former kingdom. \u201cBut I must now ask you,\u201d said\nshe to Tou, \u201cto make some arrangement for my father and mother, that\nthe old order of things may be continued here.\u201d Tou at first offered\nobjections to this; whereupon the Princess said that a man who would\nnot help another in his hour of need was not much of a man, and\nimmediately went off into a fit of hysterics, from which Tou was\ntrying his best to recall her, when all of a sudden he awoke and found\nthat it was all a dream. However, he still heard a buzzing in his ears\nwhich he knew was not made by any human being, and, on looking\ncarefully about he discovered two or three bees which had settled on\nhis pillow. He was very much astonished at this, and consulted with\nhis friend, who was also greatly amazed at his strange story; and then\nthe latter pointed out a number of other bees on various parts of his\ndress, none of which would go away even when brushed off. His friend\nnow advised him to get a hive for them, which he did without delay;\nand immediately it was filled by a whole swarm of bees, which came\nflying from over the wall in great numbers. On tracing whence they had\ncome, it was found that they belonged to an old gentleman who lived\nnear, and who had kept bees for more than thirty years previously. Tou\nthereupon went and told him the story; and when the old gentleman\nexamined his hive he found the bees all gone. On breaking it open he\ndiscovered a large snake inside of about ten feet in length, which he\nimmediately killed, recognising in it the \u201chuge monster\u201d of Tou\u2019s\nadventure. As for the bees, they remained with Tou, and increased in\nnumbers every year.\n\n\nFOOTNOTES:\n\n[44] In this favourite pastime of the literati in China the important\npoint is that each word in the second line should be a due and proper\nantithesis of the word in the first line to which it corresponds.\n\n[45] See No. LXII., note 349.\n\n[46] See No. LXIX., note 35.\n\n[47] The language in which this fanciful document is couched is\nprecisely such as would be used by an officer of the Government in\nannouncing some national calamity; hence the value of these\ntales,--models as they are of the purest possible style.\n\n\n\n\nLXXI.\n\nTHE DONKEY\u2019S REVENGE.\n\n\nChung Ch\u2018ing-y\u00fc was a scholar of some reputation, who lived in\nManchuria. When he went up for his master\u2019s degree, he heard that\nthere was a Taoist priest at the capital who would tell people\u2019s\nfortunes, and was very anxious to see him; and at the conclusion of\nthe second part of the examination,[48] he accidentally met him at\nPao-t\u2018u-ch\u2018\u00fcan.[49] The priest was over sixty years of age, and had\nthe usual white beard, flowing down over his breast. Around him stood\na perfect wall of people inquiring their future fortunes, and to each\nthe old man made a brief reply: but when he saw Chung among the crowd,\nhe was overjoyed, and, seizing him by the hand, said, \u201cSir, your\nvirtuous intentions command my esteem.\u201d He then led him up behind a\nscreen, and asked if he did not wish to know what was to come; and\nwhen Chung replied in the affirmative, the priest informed him that\nhis prospects were bad. \u201cYou may succeed in passing this examination,\u201d\ncontinued he, \u201cbut on returning covered with honour to your home, I\nfear that your mother will be no longer there.\u201d Now Chung was a very\nfilial son; and as soon as he heard these words, his tears began to\nflow, and he declared that he would go back without competing any\nfurther. The priest observed that if he let this chance slip, he could\nnever hope for success; to which Chung replied that, on the other\nhand, if his mother were to die he could never hope to have her back\nagain, and that even the rank of Viceroy would not repay him for her\nloss. \u201cWell,\u201d said the priest, \u201cyou and I were connected in a former\nexistence, and I must do my best to help you now.\u201d So he took out a\npill which he gave to Chung, and told him that if he sent it\npost-haste by some one to his mother, it would prolong her life for\nseven days, and thus he would be able to see her once again after the\nexamination was over. Chung took the pill, and went off in very low\nspirits; but he soon reflected that the span of human life is a matter\nof destiny, and that every day he could spend at home would be one\nmore day devoted to the service of his mother. Accordingly, he got\nready to start at once, and, hiring a donkey, actually set out on his\nway back. When he had gone about half-a-mile, the donkey turned round\nand ran home; and when he used his whip, the animal threw itself down\non the ground. Chung got into a great perspiration, and his servant\nrecommended him to remain where he was; but this he would not hear\nof, and hired another donkey, which served him exactly the same trick\nas the other one. The sun was now sinking behind the hills, and his\nservant advised his master to stay and finish his examination while he\nhimself went back home before him. Chung had no alternative but to\nassent, and the next day he hurried through with his papers, starting\nimmediately afterwards, and not stopping at all on the way either to\neat or to sleep. All night long he went on, and arrived to find his\nmother in a very critical state; however, when he gave her the pill\nshe so far recovered that he was able to go in and see her. Grasping\nhis hand, she begged him not to weep, telling him that she had just\ndreamt she had been down to the Infernal Regions, where the King of\nHell had informed her with a gracious smile that her record was fairly\nclean, and that in view of the filial piety of her son she was to have\ntwelve years more of life. Chung was rejoiced at this, and his mother\nwas soon restored to her former health.\n\nBefore long the news arrived that Chung had passed his examination;\nupon which he bade adieu to his mother, and went off to the capital,\nwhere he bribed the eunuchs of the palace to communicate with his\nfriend the Taoist priest. The latter was very much pleased, and came\nout to see him, whereupon Chung prostrated himself at his feet. \u201cAh,\u201d\nsaid the priest, \u201cthis success of yours, and the prolongation of your\ngood mother\u2019s life, is all a reward for your virtuous conduct. What\nhave I done in the matter?\u201d Chung was very much astonished that the\npriest should already know what had happened; however, he now\ninquired as to his own future. \u201cYou will never rise to high rank,\u201d\nreplied the priest, \u201cbut you will attain the years of an octogenarian.\nIn a former state of existence you and I were once travelling\ntogether, when you threw a stone at a dog, and accidentally killed a\nfrog. Now that frog has re-appeared in life as a donkey, and according\nto all principles of destiny you ought to suffer for what you did; but\nyour filial piety has touched the Gods, a protecting star-influence\nhas passed into your nativity sheet, and you will come to no harm. On\nthe other hand, there is your wife; in her former state she was not as\nvirtuous as she might have been, and her punishment in this life was\nto be widowed quite young; you, however, have secured the prolongation\nof your own term of years, and therefore I fear that before long your\nwife will pay the penalty of death.\u201d Chung was much grieved at hearing\nthis; but after a while he asked the priest where his second wife to\nbe was living. \u201cAt Chung-chou,\u201d replied the latter; \u201cshe is now\nfourteen years old.\u201d The priest then bade him adieu, telling him that\nif any mischance should befall him he was to hurry off towards the\nsouth-east. About a year after this, Chung\u2019s wife did die; and his\nmother then desiring him to go and visit his uncle, who was a\nmagistrate in Kiangsi, on which journey he would have to pass through\nChung-chou, it seemed like a fulfilment of the old priest\u2019s prophecy.\nAs he went along, he came to a village on the banks of a river, where\na large crowd of people was gathered together round a theatrical\nperformance which was going on there. Chung would have passed quietly\nby, had not a stray donkey followed so close behind him that he turned\nround and hit it over the ears. This startled the donkey so much that\nit ran off full gallop, and knocked a rich gentleman\u2019s child, who was\nsitting with its nurse on the bank, right into the water, before any\none of the servants could lend a hand to save it. Immediately there\nwas a great outcry against Chung, who gave his mule the rein and\ndashed away, mindful of the priest\u2019s warning, towards the south-east.\nAfter riding about seven miles, he reached a mountain village, where\nhe saw an old man standing at the door of a house, and, jumping off\nhis mule, made him a low bow. The old man asked him in, and inquired\nhis name and whence he came; to which Chung replied by telling him the\nwhole adventure. \u201cNever fear,\u201d said the old man; \u201cyou can stay here,\nwhile I send out to learn the position of affairs.\u201d By the evening his\nmessenger had returned, and then they knew for the first time that the\nchild belonged to a wealthy family. The old man looked grave and said,\n\u201cHad it been anybody else\u2019s child, I might have helped you; as it is I\ncan do nothing.\u201d Chung was greatly alarmed at this; however, the old\nman told him to remain quietly there for the night, and see what turn\nmatters might take. Chung was overwhelmed with anxiety, and did not\nsleep a wink; and next morning he heard that the constables were after\nhim, and that it was death to any one who should conceal him. The old\nman changed countenance at this, and went inside, leaving Chung to\nhis own reflections; but towards the middle of the night he came and\nknocked at Chung\u2019s door, and, sitting down, began to ask how old his\nwife was. Chung replied that he was a widower; at which the old man\nseemed rather pleased, and declared that in such case help would be\nforthcoming; \u201cfor,\u201d said he, \u201cmy sister\u2019s husband has taken the vows\nand become a priest,[50] and my sister herself has died, leaving an\norphan girl who has now no home; and if you would only marry her....\u201d\nChung was delighted, more especially as this would be both the\nfulfilment of the Taoist priest\u2019s prophecy, and a means of extricating\nhimself from his present difficulty; at the same time, he declared he\nshould be sorry to implicate his future father-in-law. \u201cNever fear\nabout that,\u201d replied the old man; \u201cmy sister\u2019s husband is pretty\nskilful in the black art. He has not mixed much with the world of\nlate; but when you are married, you can discuss the matter with my\nniece.\u201d So Chung married the young lady, who was sixteen years of age,\nand very beautiful; but whenever he looked at her he took occasion to\nsigh. At last she said, \u201cI may be ugly; but you needn\u2019t be in such a\nhurry to let me know it;\u201d whereupon Chung begged her pardon, and said\nhe felt himself only too lucky to have met with such a divine\ncreature; adding that he sighed because he feared some misfortune was\ncoming on them which would separate them for ever. He then told her\nhis story, and the young lady was very angry that she should have been\ndrawn into such a difficulty without a word of warning. Chung fell on\nhis knees, and said he had already consulted with her uncle, who was\nunable himself to do anything, much as he wished it. He continued that\nhe was aware of her power; and then, pointing out that his alliance\nwas not altogether beneath her, made all kinds of promises if she\nwould only help him out of this trouble. The young lady was no longer\nable to refuse, but informed him that to apply to her father would\nentail certain disagreeable consequences, as he had retired from the\nworld, and did not any more recognise her as his daughter. That night\nthey did not attempt to sleep, spending the interval in padding their\nknees with thick felt concealed beneath their clothes; and then they\ngot into chairs and were carried off to the hills. After journeying\nsome distance, they were compelled by the nature of the road to alight\nand walk; and it was only by a great effort that Chung succeeded at\nlast in getting his wife to the top. At the door of the temple they\nsat down to rest, the powder and paint on the young lady\u2019s face having\nall mixed with the perspiration trickling down; but when Chung began\nto apologize for bringing her to this pass, she replied that it was a\nmere trifle compared with what was to come. By-and-by, they went\ninside; and threading their way to the wall beyond, found the young\nlady\u2019s father sitting in contemplation,[51] his eyes closed, and a\nservant-boy standing by with a chowry.[52] Everything was beautifully\nclean and nice, but before the dais were sharp stones scattered about\nas thick as the stars in the sky. The young lady did not venture to\nselect a favourable spot; she fell on her knees at once, and Chung did\nlikewise behind her. Then her father opened his eyes, shutting them\nagain almost instantaneously; whereupon the young lady said, \u201cFor a\nlong time I have not paid my respects to you. I am now married, and I\nhave brought my husband to see you.\u201d A long time passed away, and then\nher father opened his eyes and said, \u201cYou\u2019re giving a great deal of\ntrouble,\u201d immediately relapsing into silence again. There the husband\nand wife remained until the stones seemed to pierce into their very\nbones; but after a while the father cried out, \u201cHave you brought the\ndonkey?\u201d His daughter replied that they had not; whereupon they were\ntold to go and fetch it at once, which they did, not knowing what the\nmeaning of this order was. After a few more days\u2019 kneeling, they\nsuddenly heard that the murderer of the child had been caught and\nbeheaded, and were just congratulating each other on the success of\ntheir scheme, when a servant came in with a stick in his hand, the top\nof which had been chopped off. \u201cThis stick,\u201d said the servant, \u201cdied\ninstead of you. Bury it reverently, that the wrong done to the tree\nmay be somewhat atoned for.\u201d[53] Then Chung saw that at the place\nwhere the top of the stick had been chopped off there were traces of\nblood; he therefore buried it with the usual ceremony, and immediately\nset off with his wife, and returned to his own home.\n\n\nFOOTNOTES:\n\n[48] The examination consists of three bouts of three days each,\nduring which periods the candidates remain shut up in their\nexamination cells day and night.\n\n[49] The name of a place.\n\n[50] This interesting ceremony is performed by placing little conical\npastilles on a certain number of spots, varying from three to twelve,\non the candidate\u2019s head. These are then lighted and allowed to burn\ndown into the flesh, while the surrounding parts are vigorously rubbed\nby attendant priests in order to lessen the pain. The whole thing\nlasts about twenty minutes, and is always performed on the eve of\nSh\u00e2kyamuni Buddha\u2019s birthday. The above was well described by Mr. S.\nL. Baldwin in the _Foochow Herald_.\n\n[51] There is a room in most Buddhist temples specially devoted to\nthis purpose.\n\n[52] The Buddhist emblem of cleanliness; generally a yak\u2019s tail, and\ncommonly used as a fly-brush.\n\n[53] Tree-worship can hardly be said to exist in China at the present\nday; though at a comparatively recent epoch this phase of religious\nsentiment must have been widely spread. See _The Flower Nymphs_ and\n_Mr. Willow_.\n\n\n\n\nLXXII.\n\nTHE WOLF DREAM.\n\n\nMr. Pai was a native of Chi-li, and his eldest son was called Chia.\nThe latter had been some two years holding an appointment[54] as\nmagistrate in the south; but because of the great distance between\nthem, his family had heard nothing of him. One day a distant\nconnection, named Ting, called at the house; and Mr. Pai, not having\nseen this gentleman for a long time, treated him with much cordiality.\nNow Ting was one of those persons who are occasionally employed by the\nJudge of the Infernal Regions to make arrests on earth;[55] and, as\nthey were chatting together, Mr. Pai questioned him about the realms\nbelow. Ting told him all kinds of strange things, but Pai did not\nbelieve them, answering only by a smile. Some days afterwards, he had\njust lain down to sleep when Ting walked in and asked him to go for a\nstroll; so they went off together, and by-and-by reached the city.\n\u201cThere,\u201d said Ting, pointing to a door, \u201clives your nephew,\u201d alluding\nto a son of Mr. Pai\u2019s elder sister, who was a magistrate in Honan; and\nwhen Pai expressed his doubts as to the accuracy of this statement,\nTing led him in, when, lo and behold! there was his nephew, sitting in\nhis court dressed in his official robes. Around him stood the guard,\nand it was impossible to get near him; but Ting remarked that his\nson\u2019s residence was not far off, and asked Pai if he would not like to\nsee him too. The latter assenting, they walked along till they came to\na large building, which Ting said was the place. However, there was a\nfierce wolf at the entrance,[56] and Mr. Pai was afraid to go in. Ting\nbade him enter, and accordingly they walked in, when they found that\nall the employ\u00e9s of the place, some of whom were standing about and\nothers lying down to sleep, were all wolves. The central pathway was\npiled up with whitening bones, and Mr. Pai began to feel horribly\nalarmed but Ting kept close to him all the time, and at length they\ngot safely in. Pai\u2019s son, Chia, was just coming out; and when he saw\nhis father accompanied by Ting, he was overjoyed, and, asking them to\nsit down, bade the attendants serve some refreshment. Thereupon a\ngreat big wolf brought in in his mouth the carcase of a dead man, and\nset it before them, at which Mr. Pai rose up in consternation, and\nasked his son what this meant. \u201cIt\u2019s only a little refreshment for\nyou, father,\u201d replied Chia; but this did not calm Mr. Pai\u2019s agitation,\nwho would have retired precipitately, had it not been for the crowd of\nwolves which barred the path. Just as he was at a loss what to do,\nthere was a general stampede among the animals which scurried away,\nsome under the couches and some under the tables and chairs; and while\nhe was wondering what the cause of this could be, in marched two\nknights in golden armour, who looked sternly at Chia, and, producing a\nblack rope, proceeded to bind him hand and foot. Chia fell down before\nthem, and was changed into a tiger with horrid fangs; and then one of\nthe knights drew a glittering sword and would have cut off its head,\nhad not the other cried out, \u201cNot yet! not yet! that is for the fourth\nmonth next year. Let us now only take out its teeth.\u201d Immediately that\nknight produced a huge mallet, and, with a few blows, scattered the\ntiger\u2019s teeth all over the floor, the tiger roaring so loudly with\npain as to shake the very hills, and frightening all the wits out of\nMr. Pai--who woke up with a start. He found he had been dreaming, and\nat once sent off to invite Ting to come and see him; but Ting sent\nback to say he must beg to be excused. Then Mr. Pai, pondering on what\nhe had seen in his dream, despatched his second son with a letter to\nChia, full of warnings and good advice; and lo! when his son arrived,\nhe found that his elder brother had lost all his front teeth, these\nhaving been knocked out, as he averred, by a fall he had had from his\nhorse when tipsy; and, on comparing dates, the day of that fall was\nfound to coincide with the day of his father\u2019s dream. The younger\nbrother was greatly amazed at this, and took out their father\u2019s\nletter, which he gave to Chia to read. The latter changed colour, but\nimmediately asked his brother what there was to be astonished at in\nthe coincidence of a dream. And just at that time he was busily\nengaged in bribing his superiors to put him first on the list for\npromotion, so that he soon forgot all about the circumstance; while\nthe younger, observing what harpies Chia\u2019s subordinates were, taking\npresents from one man and using their influence for another, in one\nunbroken stream of corruption, sought out his elder brother, and, with\ntears in his eyes, implored him to put some check upon their rapacity.\n\u201cMy brother,\u201d replied Chia, \u201cyour life has been passed in an obscure\nvillage; you know nothing of our official routine. We are promoted or\ndegraded at the will of our superiors, and not by the voice of the\npeople. He, therefore, who gratifies his superiors is marked out for\nsuccess;[57] whereas he who consults the wishes of the people is\nunable to gratify his superiors as well.\u201d Chia\u2019s brother saw that his\nadvice was thrown away; he accordingly returned home and told his\nfather all that had taken place. The old man was much affected, but\nthere was nothing that he could do in the matter, so he devoted\nhimself to assisting the poor, and such acts of charity, daily praying\nthe Gods that the wicked son alone might suffer for his crimes, and\nnot entail misery on his innocent wife and children. The next year it\nwas reported that Chia had been recommended for a post in the Board of\nCivil Office,[58] and friends crowded the father\u2019s door, offering\ntheir congratulations upon the happy event. But the old man sighed and\ntook to his bed, pretending he was too unwell to receive visitors.\nBefore long another message came, informing them that Chia had fallen\nin with bandits while on his way home, and that he and all his retinue\nhad been killed. Then his father arose and said, \u201cVerily the Gods are\ngood unto me, for they have visited his sins upon himself alone;\u201d and\nhe immediately proceeded to burn incense and return thanks. Some of\nhis friends would have persuaded him that the report was probably\nuntrue; but the old man had no doubts as to its correctness, and made\nhaste to get ready his son\u2019s grave. But Chia was not yet dead. In the\nfatal fourth moon he had started on his journey and had fallen in with\nbandits, to whom he had offered all his money and valuables; upon\nwhich the latter cried out, \u201cWe have come to avenge the cruel wrongs\nof many hundreds of victims; do you imagine we want only _that_?\u201d They\nthen cut off his head, and the head of his wicked secretary, and the\nheads of several of his servants who had been foremost in carrying\nout his shameful orders, and were now accompanying him to the capital.\nThey then divided the booty between them, and made off with all speed.\nChia\u2019s soul remained near his body for some time, until at length a\nhigh mandarin passing by asked who it was that was lying there dead.\nOne of his servants replied that he had been a magistrate at such and\nsuch a place, and that his name was Pai. \u201cWhat!\u201d said the mandarin,\n\u201cthe son of old Mr. Pai? It is hard that his father should live to see\nsuch sorrow as this. Put his head on again.\u201d[59] Then a man stepped\nforward and placed Chia\u2019s head upon his shoulders again, when the\nmandarin interrupted him, saying, \u201cA crooked-minded man should not\nhave a straight body: put his head on sideways.\u201d By-and-by Chia\u2019s soul\nreturned to its tenement; and when his wife and children arrived to\ntake away the corpse, they found that he was still breathing. Carrying\nhim home, they poured some nourishment down his throat, which he was\nable to swallow; but there he was at an out-of-the-way place, without\nthe means of continuing his journey. It was some six months before his\nfather heard the real state of the case, and then he sent off the\nsecond son to bring his brother home. Chia had indeed come to life\nagain, but he was able to see down his own back, and was regarded ever\nafterwards more as a monstrosity than as a man. Subsequently the\nnephew, whom old Mr. Pai had seen sitting in state surrounded by\nofficials, actually became an Imperial Censor, so that every detail of\nthe dream was thus strangely realised.[60]\n\n\nFOOTNOTES:\n\n[54] Literally, \u201chad been allotted the post of Nan-fu magistrate,\u201d\nsuch appointments being always determined by drawing lots.\n\n[55] Such is one common explanation of catalepsy (see No. I., note\n40), it being further averred that the proper lictors of the Infernal\nregions are unable to remain long in the _light_ of the upper world.\n\n[56] Upon a wall at the entrance to every official residence is\npainted a huge fabulous animal, called _Greed_, in such a position\nthat the resident mandarin must see it every time he goes out of his\nfront gates. It is to warn him against greed and the crimes that are\nsure to flow from it.\n\n[57] Such, indeed, is the case at the present day in China, and\nelsewhere.\n\n[58] See No. VII., note 54.\n\n[59] The great sorrow of decapitation as opposed to strangulation is\nthat the body will appear in the realms below without a head. The\nfamily of any condemned man who may have sufficient means always bribe\nthe executioner to sew it on again.\n\n[60] This story is an admirable _expos\u00e9_ of Chinese official\ncorruption, as rampant at the present day as ever in the long history\nof China.\n\n\n\n\nLXXIII.\n\nTHE UNJUST SENTENCE.\n\n\nMr. Chu was a native of Yang-ku, and, as a young man, was much given\nto playing tricks and talking in a loose kind of way. Having lost his\nwife, he went off to ask a certain old woman to arrange another match\nfor him; and on the way, he chanced to fall in with a neighbour\u2019s wife\nwho took his fancy very much. So he said in joke to the old woman,\n\u201cGet me that stylish-looking, handsome lady, and I shall be quite\nsatisfied.\u201d \u201cI\u2019ll see what I can do,\u201d replied the old woman, also\njoking, \u201cif you will manage to kill her present husband;\u201d upon which\nChu laughed and said he certainly would do so. Now about a month\nafterwards, the said husband, who had gone out to collect some money\ndue to him, was actually killed in a lonely spot; and the magistrate\nof the district immediately summoned the neighbours and beadle[61] and\nheld the usual inquest, but was unable to find any clue to the\nmurderer. However, the old woman told the story of her conversation\nwith Chu, and suspicion at once fell upon him. The constables came\nand arrested him; but he stoutly denied the charge; and the magistrate\nnow began to suspect the wife of the murdered man. Accordingly, she\nwas severely beaten and tortured in several ways until her strength\nfailed her, and she falsely acknowledged her guilt.[62] Chu was then\nexamined, and he said, \u201cThis delicate woman could not bear the agony\nof your tortures; what she has stated is untrue; and, even should her\nwrong escape the notice of the Gods, for her to die in this way with a\nstain upon her name is more than I can endure. I will tell the whole\ntruth. I killed the husband that I might secure the wife: she knew\nnothing at all about it.\u201d And when the magistrate asked for some\nproof, Chu said his bloody clothes would be evidence enough; but when\nthey sent to search his house, no bloody clothes were forthcoming. He\nwas then beaten till he fainted; yet when he came round he still stuck\nto what he had said. \u201cIt is my mother,\u201d cried he, \u201cwho will not sign\nthe death-warrant of her son. Let me go myself and I will get the\nclothes.\u201d So he was escorted by a guard to his home, and there he\nexplained to his mother that whether she gave up or withheld the\nclothes, it was all the same; that in either case he would have to\ndie, and it was better to die early than late. Thereupon his mother\nwept bitterly, and going into the bedroom, brought out, after a short\ndelay, the required clothes, which were taken at once to the\nmagistrate\u2019s. There was now no doubt as to the truth of Chu\u2019s story;\nand as nothing occurred to change the magistrate\u2019s opinion, Chu was\nthrown into prison to await the day for his execution. Meanwhile, as\nthe magistrate was one day inspecting his gaol, suddenly a man\nappeared in the hall, who glared at him fiercely and roared out,\n\u201cDull-headed fool! unfit to be the guardian of the people\u2019s\ninterests!\u201d--whereupon the crowd of servants standing round rushed\nforward to seize him, but with one sweep of his arms he laid them all\nflat on the ground. The magistrate was frightened out of his wits, and\ntried to escape, but the man cried out to him, \u201cI am one of Kuan\nTi\u2019s[63] lieutenants. If you move an inch you are lost.\u201d So the\nmagistrate stood there, shaking from head to foot with fear, while his\nvisitor continued, \u201cThe murderer is Kung Piao: Chu had nothing to do\nwith it.\u201d\n\nThe lieutenant then fell down on the ground, and was to all appearance\nlifeless; however, after a while he recovered, his face having quite\nchanged, and when they asked him his name, lo! it was Kung Piao. Under\nthe application of the bamboo he confessed his guilt. Always an\nunprincipled man, he had heard that the murdered man was going out to\ncollect money, and thinking he would be sure to bring it back with\nhim, he had killed him, but had found nothing. Then when he learnt\nthat Chu had acknowledged the crime as his own doing, he had rejoiced\nin secret at such a stroke of luck. How he had got into the\nmagistrate\u2019s hall he was quite unable to say. The magistrate now\ncalled for some explanation of Chu\u2019s bloody clothes, which Chu himself\nwas unable to give; but his mother, who was at once sent for, stated\nthat she had cut her own arm to stain them, and when they examined her\nthey found on her left arm the scar of a recent wound. The magistrate\nwas lost in amazement at all this; unfortunately for him the reversal\nof his sentence cost him his appointment, and he died in poverty,\nunable to find his way home. As for Chu, the widow of the murdered man\nmarried him[64] in the following year, out of gratitude for his noble\nbehaviour.\n\n\nFOOTNOTES:\n\n[61] See No. LXIV., note 18.\n\n[62] Such has, doubtless, been the occasional result of torture in\nChina; but the singular keenness of the mandarins, as a body, in\nrecognising the innocent and detecting the guilty,--that is, when\ntheir own avaricious interests are not involved,--makes this\ncontingency so rare as to be almost unknown. A good instance came\nunder my own notice at Swatow in 1876. For years a Chinese servant had\nbeen employed at the foreign Custom House to carry a certain sum of\nmoney every week to the bank, and at length his honesty was above\nsuspicion. On the occasion to which I allude he had been sent as usual\nwith the bag of dollars, but after a short absence he rushed back with\na frightful gash on his right arm, evidently inflicted by a heavy\nchopper, and laying the bone bare. The money was gone. He said he had\nbeen invited into a tea-house by a couple of soldiers whom he could\npoint out; that they had tried to wrest the bag from him, and that at\nlength one of them seized a chopper and inflicted so severe a wound on\nhis arm, that in his agony he dropped the money, and the soldiers made\noff with it. The latter were promptly arrested and confronted with\ntheir accuser; but, with almost indecent haste, the police magistrate\ndismissed the case against them, and declared that he believed the man\nhad made away with the money and inflicted the wound on himself. And\nso it turned out to be, under overwhelming evidence. This servant of\nproved fidelity had given way to a rash hope of making a little money\nat the gaming-table; had hurried into one of these hells and lost\neverything in three stakes; had wounded himself on the right arm (he\nwas a left-handed man), and had concocted the story of the soldiers,\nall within the space of about twenty-five minutes. When he saw that he\nwas detected, he confessed everything, without having received a\nsingle blow of the bamboo; but up to the moment of his confession the\nforeign feeling against that police-magistrate was undeniably strong.\n\n[63] See No. I., note 39.\n\n[64] See No. LXVIII., note 30. The circumstances which led to this\nmarriage would certainly be considered \u201cexceptional.\u201d\n\n\n\n\nLXXIV.\n\nA RIP VAN WINKLE.[65]\n\n\n[The story runs that a Mr. Chia, after obtaining, with the assistance\nof a mysterious friend, his master\u2019s degree, became alive to the\nvanity of mere earthly honours, and determined to devote himself to\nthe practice of Taoism, in the hope of obtaining the elixir of\nimmortality.[66]]\n\nSo early one morning Chia and his friend, whose name was Lang, stole\naway together, without letting Chia\u2019s family know anything about it;\nand by-and-by they found themselves among the hills, in a vast cave\nwhere there was another world and another sky. An old man was sitting\nthere in great state, and Lang presented Chia to him as his future\nmaster. \u201cWhy have you come so soon?\u201d asked the old man; to which Lang\nreplied, \u201cMy friend\u2019s determination is firmly fixed: I pray you\nreceive him amongst you.\u201d \u201cSince you have come,\u201d said the old man,\nturning to Chia, \u201cyou must begin by putting away from you your\nearthly body.\u201d Chia murmured his assent, and was then escorted by Lang\nto sleeping-chamber where he was provided with food, after which Lang\nwent away. The room was beautifully clean:[67] the doors had no panels\nand the windows no lattices; and all the furniture was one table and\none couch. Chia took off his shoes and lay down, with the moon shining\nbrightly into the room; and beginning soon to feel hungry, he tried\none of the cakes on the table, which he found sweet and very\nsatisfying. He thought Lang would be sure to come back, but there he\nremained hour after hour by himself, never hearing a sound. He\nnoticed, however, that the room was fragrant with a delicious perfume;\nhis viscera seemed to be removed from his body, by which his\nintellectual faculties were much increased; and every one of his veins\nand arteries could be easily counted. Then suddenly he heard a sound\nlike that of a cat scratching itself; and, looking out of the window,\nhe beheld a tiger sitting under the verandah. He was horribly\nfrightened for the moment, but immediately recalling the admonition of\nthe old man, he collected himself and sat quietly down again. The\ntiger seemed to know that there was a man inside, for it entered the\nroom directly afterwards, and walking straight up to the couch sniffed\nat Chia\u2019s feet. Whereupon there was a noise outside, as if a fowl were\nhaving its legs tied, and the tiger ran away. Shortly afterwards a\nbeautiful young girl came in, suffusing an exquisite fragrance around;\nand going up to the couch where Chia was, she bent over him and\nwhispered, \u201cHere I am.\u201d Her breath was like the sweet odour of\nperfumes; but as Chia did not move, she whispered again, \u201cAre you\nsleeping?\u201d The voice sounded to Chia remarkably like that of his wife;\nhowever, he reflected that these were all probably nothing more than\ntests of his determination, so he closed his eyes firmly for a while.\nBut by-and-by the young lady called him by his pet name, and then he\nopened his eyes wide to discover that she was no other than his own\nwife. On asking her how she had come there, she replied that Mr. Lang\nwas afraid her husband would be lonely, and had sent an old woman to\nguide her to him. Just then they heard the old man outside in a\ntowering rage, and Chia\u2019s wife, not knowing where to conceal herself,\njumped over a low wall near by and disappeared. In came the old man,\nand gave Lang a severe beating before Chia\u2019s face, bidding him at once\nto get rid of his visitor; so Lang led Chia away over the low wall,\nsaying, \u201cI knew how anxious you were to consummate your immortality,\nand accordingly I tried to hurry things on a bit; but now I see that\nyour time has not yet come: hence this beating I have had. Good-by: we\nshall meet again some day.\u201d He then shewed Chia the way to his home,\nand waving his hand bade him farewell. Chia looked down--for he was in\nthe moon--and beheld the old familiar village and recollecting that\nhis wife was not a good walker and would not have got very far,\nhurried on to overtake her. Before long he was at his own door, but he\nnoticed that the place was all tumble-down and in ruins, and not as it\nwas when he went away. As for the people he saw, old and young alike,\nhe did not recognise one of them; and recollecting the story of how\nLiu and Y\u00fcan came back from heaven,[68] he was afraid to go in at the\ndoor. So he sat down and rested outside; and after a while an old man\nleaning on a staff came out, whereupon Chia asked him which was the\nhouse of Mr. Chia. \u201cThis is it,\u201d replied the old man; \u201cyou probably\nwish to hear the extraordinary story connected with the family? I know\nall about it. They say that Mr. Chia ran away just after he had taken\nhis master\u2019s degree, when his son was only seven or eight years old;\nand that about seven years afterwards the child\u2019s mother went into a\ndeep sleep from which she did not awake. As long as her son was alive\nhe changed his mother\u2019s clothes for her according to the seasons, but\nwhen he died, her grandsons fell into poverty, and had nothing but an\nold shanty to put the sleeping lady into. Last month she awaked,\nhaving been asleep for over a hundred years. People from far and near\nhave been coming in great numbers to hear the strange story; of late,\nhowever, there have been rather fewer.\u201d Chia was amazed when he heard\nall this, and, turning to the old man, said, \u201cI am Chia F\u00eang-chih.\u201d\nThis astonished the old man very much, and off he went to make the\nannouncement to Chia\u2019s family. The eldest grandson was dead; and the\nsecond, a man of about fifty, refused to believe that such a\nyoung-looking man was really his grandfather; but in a few moments out\ncame Chia\u2019s wife, and she recognised her husband at once. They then\nfell upon each other\u2019s necks and mingled their tears together.\n\n[After which the story is drawn out to a considerable length, but is\nquite devoid of interest.][69]\n\n\nFOOTNOTES:\n\n[65] This being a long and tedious story, I have given only such part\nof it as is remarkable for its similarity to Washington Irving\u2019s\nfamous narrative.\n\n[66] See No. IV., note 46.\n\n[67] Borrowed from Buddhism.\n\n[68] Alluding to a similar story, related in the _Record of the\nImmortals_, of how these two friends lost their way while gathering\nsimples on the hills, and were met and entertained by two lovely young\ndamsels for the space of half-a-year. When, however, they subsequently\nreturned home, they found that ten generations had passed away.\n\n[69] Besides the above, there is the story of a man named Wang, who,\nwandering one day in the mountains, came upon some old men playing a\ngame of _wei-ch\u2018i_ (see _Appendix_); and after watching them for some\ntime, he found that the handle of an axe he had with him had mouldered\naway into dust. Seven generations of men had passed away in the\ninterval. Also, a similar legend of a horseman, who, when riding over\nthe hills, saw several old men playing a game with rushes, and tied\nhis horse to a tree while he himself approached to observe them. A few\nminutes afterwards he turned to depart, but found only the skeleton of\nhis horse and the rotten remnants of the saddle and bridle. He then\nsought his home, but that was gone too; and so he laid himself down\nupon the ground and died of a broken heart.\n\n\n\n\nLXXV.\n\nTHE THREE STATES OF EXISTENCE.\n\n\nA certain man of the province of Hunan could recall what had happened\nto him in three previous lives. In the first, he was a magistrate;\nand, on one occasion, when he had been nominated Assistant-Examiner,[70]\na candidate, named Hsing, was unsuccessful. Hsing went home dreadfully\nmortified, and soon after died; but his spirit appeared before the\nKing of Purgatory, and read aloud the rejected essay, whereupon\nthousands of other shades, all of whom had suffered in a similar way,\nthronged around, and unanimously elected Hsing as their chief. The\nExaminer was immediately summoned to take his trial, and when he\narrived the King asked him, saying, \u201cAs you are appointed to examine\nthe various essays, how is it that you throw out the able and admit\nthe worthless?\u201d \u201cSire,\u201d replied he, \u201cthe ultimate decision rests with\nthe Grand Examiner; I only pass them on to him.\u201d The King then issued\na warrant for the apprehension of the Grand Examiner, and, as soon as\nhe appeared, he was told what had just now been said against him; to\nwhich he answered, \u201cI am only able to make a general estimate of the\nmerits of the candidates. Valuable essays may be kept back from me by\nmy Associate-Examiners, in which case I am powerless.\u201d[71] But the\nKing cried out, \u201cIt\u2019s all very well for you two thus to throw the\nblame on each other; you are both guilty, and both of you must be\nbambooed according to law.\u201d This sentence was about to be carried into\neffect, when Hsing, who was not at all satisfied with its lack of\nseverity, set up such a fearful screeching and howling, in which he\nwas well supported by all the other hundreds and thousands of shades,\nthat the King stopped short, and inquired what was the matter.\nThereupon Hsing informed His Majesty that the sentence was too light,\nand that the Examiners should both have their eyes gouged out, so as\nnot to be able to read essays any more. The King would not consent to\nthis, explaining to the noisy rabble that the Examiners did not\npurposely reject good essays, but only because they themselves were\nnaturally wanting in capacity. The shades then begged that, at any\nrate, their hearts might be cut out, and to this the King was obliged\nto yield; so the Examiners were seized by the attendants, their\ngarments stripped off, and their bodies ripped open with sharp knives.\nThe blood poured out on the ground, and the victims screamed with\npain; at which all the shades rejoiced exceedingly, and said, \u201cHere we\nhave been pent up, with no one to redress our wrongs; but now Mr.\nHsing has come, our injuries are washed away.\u201d They then dispersed\nwith great noise and hubbub. As for our Associate-Examiner, after his\nheart had been cut out, he came to life again as the son of a poor man\nin Shensi; and when he was twenty years old he fell into the hands of\nthe rebels, who were at that time giving great trouble to the country.\nBy-and-by, a certain official was sent at the head of some soldiers to\nput down the insurrection, and he succeeded in capturing a large\nnumber of the rebels, among whom was our hero. The latter reflected\nthat he himself was no rebel, and he was hoping that he would be able\nto obtain his release in consequence, when he noticed that the officer\nin charge was also a man of his own age, and, on looking more closely,\nhe saw that it was his old enemy, Hsing. \u201cAlas!\u201d cried he, \u201csuch is\ndestiny;\u201d and so indeed it turned out, for all the other prisoners\nwere forthwith released, and he alone was beheaded. Once more his\nspirit stood before the King of Purgatory, this time with an\naccusation against Hsing. The King, however, would not summon Hsing at\nonce, but said he should be allowed to complete his term of official\nlife on earth; and it was not till thirty years afterwards that Hsing\nappeared to answer to the charge. Then, because he had made light of\nthe lives of his people, he was condemned to be born again as a\nbrute-beast; and our hero, too, inasmuch as he had been known to beat\nhis father and mother, was sentenced to a similar fate. The latter,\nfearing the future vengeance of Hsing, persuaded the King to give him\nthe advantage of size; and, accordingly, orders were issued that he\nwas to be born again as a big, and Hsing as a little, dog. The big dog\ncame to life in a shop in Shun-t\u2018ien Fu, and was one day lying down in\nthe street, when a trader from the south arrived, bringing with him a\nlittle golden-haired dog, about the size of a wild cat, which, lo and\nbehold! turned out to be Hsing. The other, thinking Hsing\u2019s size would\nrender him an easy prey, seized him at once; but the little one caught\nhim from underneath by the throat, and hung there firmly, like a bell.\nThe big dog tried hard to shake him off, and the people of the shop\ndid their best to separate them, but all was of no avail, and in a few\nmoments both dogs were dead. Upon their spirits presenting themselves,\nas usual, before the King, each with its grievance against the other,\nthe King cried out, \u201cWhen will ye have done with your wrongs and your\nanimosities? I will now settle the matter finally for you;\u201d and\nimmediately commanded that Hsing should become the other\u2019s son-in-law\nin the next world. The latter was then born at Ch\u2018ing-y\u00fcn, and when he\nwas twenty-eight years of age took his master\u2019s degree. He had one\ndaughter, a very pretty girl, whom many of his wealthy neighbours\nwould have been glad to get for their sons; but he would not accept\nany of their offers. On one occasion, he happened to pass through the\nprefectural city just as the examination for bachelor\u2019s degree was\nover; and the candidate who had come out at the top of the list,\nthough named Li, was no other than Mr. Hsing. So he led this man away,\nand took him to an inn, where he treated him with the utmost\ncordiality, finally arranging that, as Mr. Li was still unmarried, he\nshould marry his pretty daughter. Everyone, of course, thought that\nthis was done in admiration of Li\u2019s talents, ignorant that destiny had\nalready decreed the union of the young couple. No sooner were they\nmarried than Li, proud of his own literary achievements, began to\nslight his father-in-law, and often passed many months without going\nnear him; all of which the father-in-law bore very patiently, and\nwhen, at length, Li had repeatedly failed to get on any farther in his\ncareer, he even went so far as to set to work, by all manner of means,\nto secure his success; after which they lived happily together as\nfather and son.\n\n\nFOOTNOTES:\n\n[70] See _Appendix_ A.\n\n[71] If there is one institution in the Chinese empire which is\njealously guarded and honestly administered, it is the great system of\ncompetitive examinations which has obtained in China now for many\ncenturies. And yet frauds do take place, in spite of the exceptionally\nheavy penalties incurred upon detection. Friends are occasionally\nsmuggled through by the aid of marked essays; and dishonest candidates\navail themselves of \u201csleeve editions,\u201d as they are called, of the\nbooks in which they are to be examined. On the whole, the result is a\nsuccessful one. As a rule the best candidates pull through; while, in\nexceptional cases, unquestionably good men are rejected. Of the latter\nclass, the author of this work is a most striking instance. Excelling\nin literary attainments of the highest order, he failed more than once\nto obtain his master\u2019s degree, and finally threw up in disgust.\nThenceforward he became the enemy of the mandarinate; and how he has\nlashed the corruption of his age may be read in such stories as _The\nWolf Dream_, and many others, while the policy that he himself would\nhave adopted, had he been fortunate enough to succeed, must remain for\never a matter of doubt and speculation.\n\n\n\n\nLXXVI.\n\nIN THE INFERNAL REGIONS.\n\n\nHsi Fang-p\u2018ing was a native of Tung-an. His father\u2019s name was Hsi\nLien--a hasty-tempered man, who had quarrelled with a neighbour named\nYang. By-and-by Yang died: and some years afterwards when Lien was on\nhis death-bed, he cried out that Yang was bribing the devils in hell\nto torture him. His body then swelled up and turned red, and in a few\nmoments he had breathed his last. His son wept bitterly, and refused\nall food, saying, \u201cAlas! my poor father is now being maltreated by\ncruel devils; I must go down and help to redress his wrongs.\u201d\nThereupon he ceased speaking, and sat for a long time like one dazed,\nhis soul having already quitted its tenement of clay. To himself he\nappeared to be outside the house, not knowing in what direction to go,\nso he inquired from one of the passers-by which was the way to the\ndistrict city.[72] Before long he found himself there, and, directing\nhis steps towards the prison, found his father lying outside[73] in a\nvery shocking state. When the latter beheld his son, he burst into\ntears, and declared that the gaolers had been bribed to beat him,\nwhich they did both day and night, until they had reduced him to his\npresent sorry plight. Then Fang-p\u2018ing turned round in a great rage,\nand began to curse the gaolers. \u201cOut upon you!\u201d cried he; \u201cif my\nfather is guilty he should be punished according to law, and not at\nthe will of a set of scoundrels like you.\u201d Thereupon he hurried away,\nand prepared a petition, which he took with him to present at the\nmorning session of the City God; but his enemy, Yang, had meanwhile\nset to work, and bribed so effectually, that the City God dismissed\nhis petition for want of corroborative evidence.[74] Fang-p\u2018ing was\nfurious, but could do nothing; so he started at once for the\nprefectural city, where he managed to get his plaint received, though\nit was nearly a month before it came on for hearing, and then all he\ngot was a reference back to the district city, where he was severely\ntortured, and escorted back to the door of his own home, for fear he\nshould give further trouble. However, he did not go in, but stole\naway and proceeded to lay his complaint before one of the ten Judges\nof Purgatory; whereupon the two mandarins who had previously ill-used\nhim, came forward and secretly offered him a thousand ounces of silver\nif he would withdraw the charge. This he positively refused to do; and\nsome days subsequently the landlord of the inn, where he was staying,\ntold him he had been a fool for his pains, and that he would now get\nneither money nor justice, the Judge himself having already been\ntampered with. Fang-p\u2018ing thought this was mere gossip, and would not\nbelieve it; but, when his case was called, the Judge utterly refused\nto hear the charge, and ordered him twenty blows with the bamboo,\nwhich were administered in spite of all his protestations. He then\ncried out, \u201cAh! it\u2019s all because I have no money to give you;\u201d which\nso incensed the Judge, that he told the lictors to throw Fang-p\u2018ing on\nthe fire-bed. This was a great iron couch, with a roaring fire\nunderneath, which made it red-hot; and upon that the devils cast\nFang-p\u2018ing, having first stripped off his clothes, pressing him down\non it, until the fire ate into his very bones, though in spite of that\nhe could not die. After a while the devils said he had had enough, and\nmade him get off the iron bed, and put his clothes on again. He was\njust able to walk, and when he went back into court, the Judge asked\nhim if he wanted to make any further complaints. \u201cAlas!\u201d cried he, \u201cmy\nwrongs are still unredressed, and I should only be lying were I to say\nI would complain no more.\u201d The Judge then inquired what he had to\ncomplain of; to which Fang-p\u2018ing replied that it was of the injustice\nof his recent punishment. This enraged the Judge so much that he\nordered his attendants to saw Fang-p\u2018ing in two. He was then led away\nby devils, to a place where he was thrust in between a couple of\nwooden boards, the ground on all sides being wet and sticky with\nblood. Just at that moment he was summoned to return before the Judge,\nwho asked him if he was still of the same mind; and, on his replying\nin the affirmative, he was taken back again, and bound between the two\nboards. The saw was then applied, and as it went through his brain he\nexperienced the most cruel agonies, which, however, he managed to\nendure without uttering a cry. \u201cHe\u2019s a tough customer,\u201d said one of\nthe devils, as the saw made its way gradually through his chest; to\nwhich the other replied, \u201cTruly, this is filial piety; and, as the\npoor fellow has done nothing, let us turn the saw a little out of the\ndirect line, so as to avoid injuring his heart.\u201d Fang-p\u2018ing then felt\nthe saw make a curve inside him, which caused him even more pain than\nbefore; and, in a few moments, he was cut through right down to the\nground, and the two halves of his body fell apart, along with the\nboards to which they were tied, one on either side. The devils went\nback to report progress, and were then ordered to join Fang-p\u2018ing\ntogether again, and bring him in. This they accordingly did,--the cut\nall down Fang-p\u2018ing\u2019s body hurting him dreadfully, and feeling as if\nit would re-open every minute. But, as Fang-p\u2018ing was unable to walk,\none of the devils took out a cord and tied it round his waist, as a\nreward, he said, for his filial piety. The pain immediately ceased,\nand Fang-p\u2018ing appeared once more before the Judge, this time\npromising that he would make no more complaints. The Judge now gave\norders that he should be sent up to earth, and the devils, escorting\nhim out of the north gate of the city, shewed him his way home, and\nwent away. Fang-p\u2018ing now saw that there was even less chance of\nsecuring justice in the Infernal Regions than upon the earth above;\nand, having no means of getting at the Great King to plead his case,\nhe bethought himself of a certain upright and benevolent God, called\nErh Lang, who was a relative of the Great King\u2019s, and him he\ndetermined to seek. So he turned about and took his way southwards,\nbut was immediately seized by some devils, sent out by the Judge to\nwatch that he really went back to his home. These devils hurried him\nagain into the Judge\u2019s presence, where he was received, contrary to\nhis expectation, with great affability; the Judge himself praising his\nfilial piety, but declaring that he need trouble no further in the\nmatter, as his father had already been born again in a wealthy and\nillustrious family. \u201cAnd upon you,\u201d added the Judge, \u201cI now bestow a\npresent of one thousand ounces of silver to take home with you, as\nwell as the old age of a centenarian, with which I hope you will be\nsatisfied.\u201d He then shewed Fang-p\u2018ing the stamped record of this, and\nsent him away in charge of the devils. The latter now began to abuse\nhim for giving them so much trouble, but Fang-p\u2018ing turned sharply\nupon them, and threatened to take them back before the Judge. They\nwere then silent, and marched along for about half-a-day, until at\nlength they reached a village, where the devils invited Fang-p\u2018ing\ninto a house, the door of which was standing half-open. Fang-p\u2018ing was\njust going in, when suddenly the devils gave him a shove from behind,\nand ... there he was, born again on earth as a little girl. For three\ndays he pined and cried, without taking any food, and then he died.\nBut his spirit did not forget Erh Lang, and set out at once in search\nof that God. He had not gone far when he fell in with the retinue of\nsome high personage, and one of the attendants seized him for getting\nin the way, and hurried him before his master. He was taken to a\nchariot, where he saw a handsome young man, sitting in great state;\nand thinking that now was his chance, he told the young man, who he\nimagined to be a high mandarin, all his sad story from beginning to\nend. His bonds were then loosed, and he went along with the young man\nuntil they reached a place where several officials came out to receive\nthem; and to one of these he confided Fang-p\u2018ing, who now learnt that\nthe young man was no other than God himself, the officials being the\nnine princes of heaven, and the one to whose care he was entrusted no\nother than Erh Lang. This last was very tall, and had a long white\nbeard, not at all like the popular representation of a God; and when\nthe other princes had gone, he took Fang-p\u2018ing into a court-room,\nwhere he saw his father and their old enemy, Yang, besides all the\nlictors and others who had been mixed up in the case. By-and-by, some\ncriminals were brought in in cages, and these turned out to be the\nJudge, Prefect, and Magistrate. The trial was then commenced, the\nthree wicked officers trembling and shaking in their shoes; and when\nhe had heard the evidence, Erh Lang proceeded to pass sentence upon\nthe prisoners, each of whom he sentenced, after enlarging upon the\nenormity of their several crimes, to be roasted, boiled, and otherwise\nput to most excruciating tortures. As for Fang-p\u2018ing, he accorded him\nthree extra decades of life, as a reward for his filial piety, and a\ncopy of the sentence was put in his pocket. Father and son journeyed\nalong together, and at length reached their home; that is to say,\nFang-p\u2018ing was the first to recover consciousness, and then bade the\nservants open his father\u2019s coffin, which they immediately did, and the\nold man at once came back to life. But when Fang-p\u2018ing looked for his\ncopy of the sentence, lo! it had disappeared. As for the Yang family,\npoverty soon overtook them, and all their lands passed into\nFang-p\u2018ing\u2019s hands; for as sure as any one else bought them, they\nbecame sterile forthwith, and would produce nothing; but Fang-p\u2018ing\nand his father lived on happily, both reaching the age of ninety and\nodd years.[75]\n\n\nFOOTNOTES:\n\n[72] The Infernal Regions are supposed to be pretty much a counterpart\nof the world above, except in the matter of light.\n\n[73] The visitor to Canton cannot fail to observe batches of prisoners\nwith chains on them sitting in the street outside the prisons, many of\nthem engaged in plying their particular trades.\n\n[74] The judge in a Chinese court is necessarily very much dependent\non his secretaries; and, except in special cases, he takes his cue\nalmost entirely from them. They take theirs from whichever party to\nthe case knows best how to \u201ccross the palm.\u201d\n\n[75] The whole story is of course simply a satire upon the venality\nand injustice of the ruling classes in China.\n\n\n\n\nLXXVII.\n\nSINGULAR CASE OF OPHTHALMIA.\n\n\nA Mr. Ku, of Chiang-nan, was stopping in an inn at Chi-hsia, when he\nwas attacked by a very severe inflammation of the eyes. Day and night\nhe lay on his bed groaning, no medicines being of any avail; and when\nhe did get a little better, his recovery was accompanied by a singular\nphenomenon. Every time he closed his eyes, he beheld in front of him a\nnumber of large buildings, with all their doors wide open, and people\npassing and repassing in the background, none of whom he recognised by\nsight. One day he had just sat down to have a good look, when, all of\na sudden, he felt himself passing through the open doors. He went on\nthrough three court-yards without meeting any one; but, on looking\ninto some rooms on either side, he saw a great number of young girls\nsitting, lying, and kneeling about on a red carpet, which was spread\non the ground. Just then a man came out from behind the building, and,\nseeing Ku, said to him, \u201cAh, the Prince said there was a stranger at\nthe door; I suppose you are the person he meant.\u201d He then asked Ku to\nwalk in, which the latter was at first unwilling to do; however, he\nyielded to the man\u2019s instances, and accompanied him in, asking whose\npalace it was. His guide told him it belonged to the son of the Ninth\nPrince, and that he had arrived at the nick of time, for a number of\nfriends and relatives had chosen this very day to come and\ncongratulate the young gentleman on his recent recovery from a severe\nillness. Meanwhile another person had come out to hurry them on, and\nthey soon reached a spot where there was a pavilion facing the north,\nwith an ornamental terrace and red balustrades, supported by nine\npillars. Ascending the steps, they found the place full of visitors,\nand then espied a young man seated with his face to the north,[76]\nwhom they at once knew to be the Prince\u2019s son, and thereupon they\nprostrated themselves before him, the whole company rising as they did\nso. The young Prince made Ku sit down to the east of him, and caused\nwine to be served; after which some singing-girls came in and\nperformed the Hua-f\u00eang-chu.[77] They had got to about the third scene,\nwhen, all of a sudden, Ku heard the landlord of the inn and his\nservant shouting out to him that dinner was ready, and was dreadfully\nafraid that the young Prince, too, had heard. No one, however, seemed\nto have noticed anything, so Ku begged to be excused a moment, as he\nwished to change his clothes, and immediately ran out. He then looked\nup, and saw the sun low in the west, and his servant standing by his\nbedside, whereupon he knew that he had never left the inn. He was much\nchagrined at this, and wished to go back as fast as he could; he,\ntherefore, dismissed his servant, and on shutting his eyes once more,\nhe found everything just as he had left it, except that where, on the\nfirst occasion, he had observed the young girls, there were none now\nto be seen, but only some dishevelled hump-backed creatures, who cried\nout at him, and asked him what he meant by spying about there. Ku\ndidn\u2019t dare reply, but hurried past them as quickly as he could, and\non to the pavilion of the young Prince. There he found him still\nsitting, but with a black beard over a foot in length; and the Prince\nwas anxious to know where he had been, saying that seven scenes of the\nplay were already over. He then seized a big goblet of wine, and made\nKu drink it as a penalty, by which time the play was finished, and the\nlist was handed up for a further selection. The \u201cMarriage of P\u2018\u00eang\nTsu\u201d was selected, and then the singing-girls began to hand round the\nwine in cocoa-nuts big enough to hold about five quarts, which Ku\ndeclined, on the ground that he was suffering from weak eyes, and was\nconsequently afraid to drink too much. \u201cIf your eyes are bad,\u201d cried\nthe young Prince, \u201cthe Court physician is at hand, and can attend to\nyou.\u201d Thereupon, one of the guests sitting to the east came forward,\nand opening Ku\u2019s eyes with his fingers, touched them with some white\nointment, which he applied from the end of a jade pin. He then bade Ku\nclose his eyes, and take a short nap; so the Prince had him conducted\ninto a sleeping-room, where he found the bed so soft, and surrounded\nby such delicious perfume, that he soon fell into a deep slumber.\nBy-and-by he was awaked by what appeared to be the clashing of\ncymbals, and fancied that the play was still going on; but on opening\nhis eyes, he saw that it was only the inn-dog, which was licking an\noilman\u2019s gong.[78] His ophthalmia, however, was quite cured; and when\nhe shut his eyes again he could see nothing.\n\n\nFOOTNOTES:\n\n[76] In Book V. of Mencius\u2019 works we read that Shun, the perfect man,\nstood with his face to the south, while the Emperor Yao (see No.\nVIII., note 63) and his nobles faced the north. This arrangement is\nsaid to have been adopted in deference to Shun\u2019s virtue; for in modern\ntimes the Emperor always sits facing the south.\n\n[77] Name of a celebrated play.\n\n[78] These are about as big as a cheese-plate and attached to a short\nstick, from which hangs suspended a small button of metal in such a\nmanner as to clash against the face of the gong at every turn of the\nhand. The names and descriptions of various instruments employed by\ncostermongers in China would fill a good-sized volume.\n\n\n\n\nLXXVIII.\n\nCHOU K\u2018O-CH\u2018ANG AND HIS GHOST.\n\n\nAt Huai-shang there lived a graduate named Chou T\u2018ien-i, who, though\nfifty years of age, had but one son, called K\u2018o-ch\u2018ang, whom he loved\nvery dearly. This boy, when about thirteen or fourteen, was a\nhandsome, well-favoured fellow, strangely averse to study, and often\nplaying truant from school, sometimes for the whole day, without any\nremonstrance on the part of his father. One day he went away and did\nnot come back in the evening; neither, after a diligent search, could\nany traces of him be discovered. His father and mother were in\ndespair, and hardly cared to live; but after a year and more had\npassed away, lo and behold! K\u2018o-ch\u2018ang returned, saying that he had\nbeen beguiled away by a Taoist priest, who, however, had not done him\nany harm, and that he had seized a moment while the priest was absent\nto escape and find his way home again. His father was delighted, and\nasked him no more questions, but set to work to give him an education;\nand K\u2018o-ch\u2018ang was so much cleverer and more intelligent than he had\nbeen before, that by the following year he had taken his bachelor\u2019s\ndegree and had made quite a name for himself. Immediately all the good\nfamilies of the neighbourhood wanted to secure him as a son-in-law.\nAmong others proposed there was an extremely nice girl, the daughter\nof a gentleman named Chao, who had taken his doctor\u2019s degree, and\nK\u2018o-ch\u2018ang\u2019s father was very anxious that he should marry the young\nlady. The youth himself would not hear of it, but stuck to his books\nand took his master\u2019s degree, quite refusing to entertain any thought\nof marriage; and this so exasperated his mother that one day the good\nlady began to rate him soundly. K\u2018o-ch\u2018ang got up in a great rage and\ncried out, \u201cI have long been wanting to get away, and have only\nremained for your sakes. I shall now say farewell, and leave Miss Chao\nfor any one that likes to marry her.\u201d At this his mother tried to\ndetain him, but in a moment he had fallen forwards on the ground, and\nthere was nothing left of him but his hat and clothes. They were all\ndreadfully frightened, thinking that it must have been K\u2018o-ch\u2018ang\u2019s\nghost who had been with them, and gave themselves up to weeping and\nlamentation; however, the very next day K\u2018o-ch\u2018ang arrived,\naccompanied by a retinue of horses and servants, his story being that\nhe had formerly been kidnapped[79] and sold to a wealthy trader, who,\nbeing then childless, had adopted him, but who, when he subsequently\nhad a son born to him by his own wife, sent K\u2018o-ch\u2018ang back to his old\nhome. And as soon as his father began to question him as to his\nstudies, his utter dulness and want of knowledge soon made it clear\nthat he was the real K\u2018o-ch\u2018ang of old; but he was already known as a\nman who had got his master\u2019s degree, (that is, the ghost of him had\ngot it,) so it was determined in the family to keep the whole affair\nsecret. This K\u2018o-ch\u2018ang was only too ready to espouse Miss Chao; and\nbefore a year had passed over their heads his wife had presented the\nold people with the much longed-for grandson.\n\n\nFOOTNOTE:\n\n[79] See No. XXIII., note 154.\n\n\n\n\nLXXIX.\n\nTHE SPIRITS OF THE PO-YANG LAKE.\n\n\nAn official, named Chai, was appointed to a post at Jao-chou, and on\nhis way thither crossed the Po-yang lake. Happening to visit the\nshrine of the local spirits, he noticed a carved image of the\npatriotic Ting P\u2018u-lang,[80] and another of a namesake of his own, the\nlatter occupying a very inferior position. \u201cCome! come!\u201d said Chai,\n\u201cmy patron saint shan\u2019t be put in the background like that;\u201d so he\nmoved the image into a more honourable place, and then went back on\nboard his boat again. Soon after, a great wind struck the vessel, and\ncarried away the mast and sails; at which the sailors, in great alarm,\nset to work to howl and cry. However, in a few moments they saw a\nsmall skiff come cutting through the waves, and before long they were\nall safely on board. The man who rowed it was strangely like the image\nin the shrine, the position of which Chai had changed; but they were\nhardly out of danger when the squall had passed over, and skiff and\nman had both vanished.\n\n\nFOOTNOTE:\n\n[80] A famous official who lived in the reign of Hung Wu, first\nEmperor of the Ming dynasty (A.D. 1368-1399). I have not been able to\ndiscover what was the particular act for which he has been celebrated\nas \u201cloyal to the death.\u201d\n\n\n\n\nLXXX.\n\nTHE STREAM OF CASH.\n\n\nA certain gentleman\u2019s servant was one day in his master\u2019s garden, when\nhe beheld a stream of cash[81] flowing by, two or three feet in\nbreadth and of about the same depth. He immediately seized two large\nhandfuls, and then threw himself down on the top of the stream in\norder to try and secure the rest. However, when he got up he found\nthat it had all flowed away from under him, none being left except\nwhat he had got in his two hands.\n\n[\u201cAh!\u201d says the commentator, \u201cmoney is properly a circulating medium,\nand is not intended for a man to lie upon and keep all to\nhimself.\u201d][82]\n\n\nFOOTNOTES:\n\n[81] See No. II., note 42.\n\n[82] The Chinese, fond as they are of introducing water, under the\nform of miniature lakes, into their gardens and pleasure-grounds, do\nnot approve of a running stream near the dwelling-house. I myself knew\na case of a man, provided with a pretty little house, rent free,\nalongside of which ran a mountain-rill, who left the place and paid\nfor lodgings out of his own pocket rather than live so close to a\nstream which he averred _carried all his good luck away_. Yet this man\nwas a fair scholar and a graduate to boot.\n\n\n\n\nLXXXI.\n\nTHE INJUSTICE OF HEAVEN.\n\n\nMr. Hs\u00fc was a magistrate at Shantung. A certain upper chamber of his\nhouse was used as a store-room; but some creature managed so\nfrequently to get in and make havoc among the stores, for which the\nservants were always being scolded, that at length some of the latter\ndetermined to keep watch. By-and-by they saw a huge spider as big as a\npeck measure, and hurried off to tell their master, who thought it so\nstrange that he gave orders to the servants to feed the insect with\ncakes. It thus became very tame, and would always come forth when\nhungry, returning as soon as it had taken enough to eat.[83] Years\npassed away, and one day Mr. Hs\u00fc was consulting his archives, when\nsuddenly the spider appeared and ran under the table. Thinking it was\nhungry, he bade his servants give it a cake; but the next moment he\nnoticed two snakes, of about the thickness of a chop-stick, lying one\non each side. The spider drew in its legs as if in mortal fear, and\nthe snakes began to swell out until they were as big round as an egg;\nat which Mr. Hs\u00fc was greatly alarmed, and would have hurried away,\nwhen crash! went a peal of thunder, killing every person in the house.\nMr. Hs\u00fc himself recovered consciousness after a little while, but only\nto see his wife and servants, seven persons in all, lying dead; and\nafter a month\u2019s illness he, too, departed this life. Now Mr. Hs\u00fc was\nan upright, honourable man, who really had the interests of the people\nat heart. A subscription was accordingly raised to pay his funeral\nexpenses, and on the day of his burial the air was rent for miles\nround with cries of weeping and lamentation.\n\n[Hereon the commentator, I Shih-shih, makes the following\nremark:--\u201cThat dragons play with pearls[84] I have always regarded as\nan old woman\u2019s tale. Is it possible, then, that the story is a fact? I\nhave heard, too, that the thunder strikes only the guilty man;[85]\nand, if so, how could a virtuous official be visited with this dire\ncalamity?\u201d]\n\n\nFOOTNOTES:\n\n[83] That Chinaman thinks his a hard lot who cannot \u201ceat till he is\nfull.\u201d It may be noticed here that the Chinese seem not so much to\nenjoy the process of eating as the subsequent state of repletion. As a\nrule, they bolt their food, and get their enjoyment out of it\nafterwards.\n\n[84] The full explanation and origin of this saying I have failed to\nelucidate. Dragons are often represented with pearls before their\nmouths; and these they are supposed to spit out or swallow as fancy\nmay take them. The pearl, too, is said to be the essence of the\ndragon\u2019s nature, without which it would be powerless; but this is all\nI know about the subject.\n\n[85] Such is the common belief in China at the present day. There is a\nGod of Thunder who punishes wicked people; the lightning is merely a\nmirror, by the aid of which he singles out his victims.\n\n\n\n\nLXXXII.\n\nTHE SEA-SERPENT.\n\n\nA trader named Chia was voyaging on the south seas, when one night it\nsuddenly became as light as day on board his ship. Jumping up to see\nwhat was the matter, he beheld a huge creature with its body half out\nof the water, towering up like a hill. Its eyes resembled two suns,\nand threw a light far and wide; and when the trader asked the boatmen\nwhat it was, there was not one who could say. They all crouched down\nand watched it; and by-and-by the monster gradually disappeared in the\nwater again, leaving everything in darkness as before. And when they\nreached port, they found all the people talking about a strange\nphenomenon of a great light that had appeared in the night, the time\nof which coincided exactly with the strange scene they themselves had\nwitnessed.[86]\n\n\nFOOTNOTE:\n\n[86] The \u201csea-serpent\u201d in this case was probably nothing more or less\nthan some meteoric phenomenon.\n\n\n\n\nLXXXIII.\n\nTHE MAGIC MIRROR.[87]\n\n\n\u201c... But if you would really like to have something that has belonged\nto me,\u201d said she, \u201cyou shall.\u201d Whereupon she took out a mirror and\ngave it to him, saying, \u201cWhenever you want to see me, you must look\nfor me in your books; otherwise I shall not be visible;\u201d--and in a\nmoment she had vanished. Liu went home very melancholy at heart; but\nwhen he looked in the mirror, there was F\u00eang-hsien, standing with her\nback to him, gazing, as it were, at some one who was going away, and\nabout a hundred paces from her. He then bethought himself of her\ninjunctions, and settled down to his studies, refusing to receive any\nvisitors; and a few days subsequently, when he happened to look in the\nmirror, there was F\u00eang-hsien, with her face turned towards him, and\nsmiling in every feature. After this, he was always taking out the\nmirror to look at her; however, in about a month his good resolutions\nbegan to disappear, and he once more went out to enjoy himself and\nwaste his time as before. When he returned home and looked in the\nmirror, F\u00eang-hsien seemed to be crying bitterly; and the day after,\nwhen he looked at her again, she had her back turned towards him as on\nthe day he received the mirror. He now knew that it was because he had\nneglected his studies, and forthwith set to work again with all\ndiligence, until in a month\u2019s time she had turned round once again.\nHenceforward, whenever anything interrupted his progress, F\u00eang-hsien\u2019s\ncountenance became sad; but whenever he was getting on well, her\nsadness was changed to smiles. Night and morning Liu would look at the\nmirror, regarding it quite in the light of a revered preceptor; and in\nthree years\u2019 time he took his degree in triumph. \u201cNow,\u201d cried he, \u201cI\nshall be able to look F\u00eang-hsien in the face.\u201d And there, sure enough,\nshe was, with her delicately-pencilled arched eye-brows, and her teeth\njust showing between her lips, as happy-looking as she could be, when,\nall of a sudden, she seemed to speak, and Liu heard her say, \u201cA pretty\npair we make, I must allow\u201d--and the next moment F\u00eang-hsien stood by\nhis side.\n\n\nFOOTNOTE:\n\n[87] The following is merely a single episode taken from a long and\notherwise uninteresting story. Miss F\u00eang-hsien was a fox; hence her\npower to bestow such a singular present as the mirror here described,\nthe object of which was to incite her lover to success--the condition\nof their future union.\n\n\n\n\nLXXXIV.\n\nCOURAGE TESTED.\n\n\nMr. Tung was a Hs\u00fc-chou man, very fond of playing broad-sword, and a\nlight-hearted, devil-may-care fellow, who was often involving himself\nin trouble. One day he fell in with a traveller who was riding on a\nmule and going the same way as himself; whereupon they entered into\nconversation, and began to talk to each other about feats of strength\nand so on. The traveller said his name was T\u2018ung,[88] and that he\nbelonged to Liao-yang; that he had been twenty years away from home,\nand had just returned from beyond the sea. \u201cAnd I venture to say,\u201d\ncried Tung, \u201cthat in your wanderings on the Four Seas[89] you have\nseen a great many people; but have you seen any supernaturally clever\nones?\u201d T\u2018ung asked him to what he alluded; and then Tung explained\nwhat his own particular hobby was, adding how much he would like to\nlearn from them any tricks in the art of broad-sword. \u201cSupernatural,\u201d\nreplied the traveller, \u201care to be found everywhere. It needs but that\na man should be a loyal subject and a filial son for him to know all\nthat the supernaturals know.\u201d \u201cRight you are, indeed!\u201d cried Tung, as\nhe drew a short sword from his belt, and, tapping the blade with his\nfingers, began to accompany it with a song. He then cut down a tree\nthat was by the wayside, to shew T\u2018ung how sharp it was; at which\nT\u2018ung smoothed his beard and smiled, begging to be allowed to have a\nlook at the weapon. Tung handed it to him, and, when he had turned it\nover two or three times, he said, \u201cThis is a very inferior piece of\nsteel; now, though I know nothing about broad-sword myself, I have a\nweapon which is really of some use.\u201d He then drew from beneath his\ncoat a sword of a foot or so in length, and with it he began to pare\npieces off Tung\u2019s sword, which seemed as soft as a melon, and which he\ncut quite away like a horse\u2019s hoof. Tung was greatly astonished, and\nborrowed the other\u2019s sword to examine it, returning it after carefully\nwiping the blade. He then invited T\u2018ung to his house, and made him\nstay the night; and, after begging him to explain the mystery of his\nsword, began to nurse his leg and sit listening respectfully without\nsaying a word. It was already pretty late, when suddenly there was a\nsound of scuffling next door, where Tung\u2019s father lived; and, on\nputting his ear to the wall, he heard an angry voice saying, \u201cTell\nyour son to come here at once, and then I will spare you.\u201d This was\nfollowed by other sounds of beating and a continued groaning, in a\nvoice which Tung knew to be his father\u2019s. He therefore seized a spear,\nand was about to rush forth, but T\u2018ung held him back, saying, \u201cYou\u2019ll\nbe killed for a certainty if you go. Let us think of some other plan.\u201d\nTung asked what plan he could suggest; to which the other replied,\n\u201cThe robbers are killing your father: there is no help for you; but as\nyou have no brothers, just go and tell your wife and children what\nyour last wishes are, while I try and rouse the servants.\u201d Tung agreed\nto this, and ran in to tell his wife, who clung to him and implored\nhim not to go, until at length all his courage had ebbed away, and he\nwent upstairs with her to get his bow and arrows ready to resist the\nrobbers\u2019 attack. At that juncture he heard the voice of his friend\nT\u2018ung, outside on the eaves of the house, saying, with a laugh, \u201cAll\nright; the robbers have gone;\u201d but on lighting a candle, he could see\nnothing of him. He then stole out to the front door, where he met his\nfather with a lantern in his hand, coming in from a party at a\nneighbour\u2019s house; and the whole court-yard was covered with the ashes\nof burnt grass, whereby he knew that T\u2018ung the traveller was himself a\nsupernatural.[90]\n\n\nFOOTNOTES:\n\n[88] Besides the all-important aspirate, this name is pronounced in a\ndifferent _tone_ from the first-mentioned \u201cTung;\u201d and is moreover\nexpressed in writing by a totally different character. To a Chinese\near, the two words are as unlikely to be confounded as Brown and\nJones.\n\n[89] The Four Seas are supposed by the Chinese to bound the habitable\nportions of the earth, which, by the way, they further believe to be\nsquare. In the centre of all is China, extending far and wide in every\ndirection, the eye of the universe, the Middle Kingdom. Away at a\ndistance from her shores lie a number of small islands, wherein dwell\nsuch barbarous nations as the English, French, Dutch, etc.\n\n[90] The commentator, I Shih-shih, adds a note to this story which\nmight be summed up in our own--\n\n \u201cThe [wo]man that deliberates is lost.\u201d\n\n\n\n\nLXXXV.\n\nTHE DISEMBODIED FRIEND.\n\n\nMr. Ch\u2018\u00ean, M.A., of Shun-t\u2018ien Fu, when a boy of sixteen, went to\nschool at a Buddhist temple.[91] There were a great many scholars\nbesides himself, and, among others, one named Ch\u2018u, who said he came\nfrom Shantung. This Ch\u2018u was a very hard-working fellow; he never\nseemed to be idle, and actually slept in the school-room, not going\nhome at all. Ch\u2018\u00ean became much attached to him, and one day asked him\nwhy he never went away. \u201cWell, you see,\u201d replied Ch\u2018u, \u201cmy people are\nvery poor, and can hardly afford to pay for my schooling; but, by dint\nof working half the night, two of my days are equal to three of\nanybody else\u2019s.\u201d Thereupon Ch\u2018\u00ean said he would bring his own bed to\nthe school, and that they would sleep there together; to which Ch\u2018u\nreplied that the teaching they got wasn\u2019t worth much, and that they\nwould do better by putting themselves under a certain old scholar\nnamed L\u00fc. This they were easily able to do, as the arrangement at the\ntemple was monthly, and at the end of each month anyone was free to go\nor to come. So off they went to this Mr. L\u00fc, a man of considerable\nliterary attainments, who had found himself in Shun-t\u2018ien Fu without a\ncash in his pocket, and was accordingly obliged to take pupils. He was\ndelighted at getting two additions to his number and, Ch\u2018u showing\nhimself an apt scholar, the two soon became very great friends,\nsleeping in the same room and eating at the same table. At the end of\nthe month Ch\u2018u asked for leave of absence, and, to the astonishment of\nall, ten days elapsed without anything being heard of him. It then\nchanced that Ch\u2018\u00ean went to the T\u2018ien-ning temple, and there he saw\nCh\u2018u under one of the verandahs, occupied in cutting wood for\nlucifer-matches.[92] The latter was much disconcerted by the arrival\nof Ch\u2018\u00ean, who asked him why he had given up his studies; so the latter\ntook him aside, and explained that he was so poor as to be obliged to\nwork half a month to scrape together funds enough for his next month\u2019s\nschooling. \u201cYou come along back with me,\u201d cried Ch\u2018\u00ean, on hearing\nthis, \u201cI will arrange for the payment,\u201d which Ch\u2018u immediately\nconsented to do on condition that Ch\u2018\u00ean would keep the whole thing a\nprofound secret. Now Ch\u2018\u00ean\u2019s father was a wealthy tradesman, and from\nhis till Ch\u2018\u00ean abstracted money wherewith to pay for Ch\u2018u; and\nby-and-by, when his father found him out, he confessed why he had done\nso. Thereupon Ch\u2018\u00ean\u2019s father called him a fool, and would not let him\nresume his studies; at which Ch\u2018u was much hurt, and would have left\nthe school too, but that old Mr. L\u00fc discovered what had taken place,\nand gave him the money to return to Ch\u2018\u00ean\u2019s father, keeping him still\nat the school, and treating him quite like his own son. So Ch\u2018\u00ean\nstudied no more, but whenever he met Ch\u2018u he always asked him to join\nin some refreshment at a restaurant, Ch\u2018u invariably refusing, but\nyielding at length to his entreaties, being himself loth to break off\ntheir old acquaintanceship.\n\nThus two years passed away, when Ch\u2018\u00ean\u2019s father died, and Ch\u2018\u00ean went\nback to his books under the guidance of old Mr. L\u00fc, who was very glad\nto see such determination. Of course Ch\u2018\u00ean was now far behind Ch\u2018u;\nand in about six months L\u00fc\u2019s son arrived, having begged his way in\nsearch of his father, so Mr. L\u00fc gave up his school and returned home\nwith a purse which his pupils had made up for him, Ch\u2018u adding nothing\nthereto but his tears. At parting, Mr. L\u00fc advised Ch\u2018\u00ean to take Ch\u2018u\nas his tutor, and this he did, establishing him comfortably in the\nhouse with him. The examination was very shortly to commence, and\nCh\u2018\u00ean felt convinced that he should not get through; but Ch\u2018u said he\nthought he should be able to manage the matter for him. On the\nappointed day he introduced Ch\u2018\u00ean to a gentleman who he said was a\ncousin of his, named Liu, and asked Ch\u2018\u00ean to accompany this cousin,\nwhich Ch\u2018\u00ean was just proceeding to do when Ch\u2018u pulled him back from\nbehind,[93] and he would have fallen down but that the cousin pulled\nhim up again, and then, after having scrutinized his appearance,\ncarried him off to his own house. There being no ladies there, Ch\u2018\u00ean\nwas put into the inner apartments; and a few days afterwards Liu said\nto him, \u201cA great many people will be at the gardens to-day; let us go\nand amuse ourselves awhile, and afterwards I will send you home\nagain.\u201d He then gave orders that a servant should proceed on ahead\nwith tea and wine, and by-and-by they themselves went, and were soon\nin the thick of the f\u00eate. Crossing over a bridge, they saw beneath an\nold willow tree a little painted skiff, and were soon on board,\nengaged in freely passing round the wine. However, finding this a\nlittle dull, Liu bade his servant go and see if Miss Li, the famous\nsinging-girl, was at home; and in a few minutes the servant returned\nbringing Miss Li with him. Ch\u2018\u00ean had met her before, and so they at\nonce exchanged greetings, while Liu begged her to be good enough to\nfavour them with a song. Miss Li, who seemed labouring under a fit of\nmelancholy, forthwith began a funeral dirge; at which Ch\u2018\u00ean was not\nmuch pleased, and observed that such a theme was hardly suitable to\nthe occasion. With a forced smile, Miss Li changed her key, and gave\nthem a love-song; whereupon Ch\u2018\u00ean seized her hand, and said, \u201cThere\u2019s\nthat song of the Huan-sha river,[94] which you sang once before; I\nhave read it over several times, but have quite forgotten the words.\u201d\nThen Miss Li began--\n\n \u201cEyes overflowing with tears, she sits gazing into her glass,\n Lifting the bamboo screen, one of her comrades approaches;\n She bends her head and seems intent on her bow-like slippers,\n And forces her eyebrows to arch themselves into a smile.\n With her scarlet sleeve she wipes the tears from her perfumed cheek,\n In fear and trembling lest they should guess the thoughts that\n o\u2019erwhelm her.\u201d[95]\n\nCh\u2018\u00ean repeated this over several times, until at length the skiff\nstopped, and they passed through a long verandah, where a great many\nverses had been inscribed on the walls,[96] to which Ch\u2018\u00ean at once\nproceeded to add a stanza of his own. Evening was now coming on, and\nLiu remarked that the candidates would be just about leaving the\nexamination-hall;[97] so he escorted him back to his own home, and\nthere left him. The room was dark, and there was no one with him; but\nby-and-by the servants ushered in some one whom at first he took to be\nCh\u2018u. However, he soon saw that it was not Ch\u2018u, and in another moment\nthe stranger had fallen against him and knocked him down. \u201cMaster\u2019s\nfainted!\u201d cried the servants, as they ran to pick him up; and then\nCh\u2018\u00ean discovered that the one who had fallen down was really no other\nthan himself.[98] On getting up, he saw Ch\u2018u standing by his side; and\nwhen they had sent away the servants the latter said, \u201cDon\u2019t be\nalarmed: I am nothing more than a disembodied spirit. My time for\nre-appearing on earth[99] is long overdue, but I could not forget your\ngreat kindness to me, and accordingly I have remained under this form\nin order to assist in the accomplishment of your wishes. The three\nbouts[100] are over, and your ambition will be gratified.\u201d Ch\u2018\u00ean then\ninquired if Ch\u2018u could assist him in like manner for his doctor\u2019s\ndegree; to which the latter replied, \u201cAlas! the luck descending to you\nfrom your ancestors is not equal to that.[101] They were a niggardly\nlot, and unfit for the posthumous honours you would thus confer on\nthem.\u201d Ch\u2018\u00ean next asked him whither he was going; and Ch\u2018u replied\nthat he hoped, through the agency of his cousin, who was a clerk in\nPurgatory, to be born again in old Mr. L\u00fc\u2019s family. They then bade\neach other adieu; and, when morning came, Ch\u2018\u00ean set off to call on\nMiss Li, the singing-girl; but on reaching her house he found that she\nhad been dead some days.[102] He walked on to the gardens, and there\nhe saw traces of verses that had been written on the walls, and\nevidently rubbed out, so as to be hardly decipherable. In a moment it\nflashed across him that the verses and their composers belonged to the\nother world. Towards evening Ch\u2018u re-appeared in high spirits, saying\nthat he had succeeded in his design, and had come to wish Ch\u2018\u00ean a long\nfarewell. Holding out his open palms, he requested Ch\u2018\u00ean to write the\nword _Ch\u2018u_ on each; and then, after refusing to take a parting cup,\nhe went away, telling Ch\u2018\u00ean that the examination-list would soon be\nout, and that they would meet again before long. Ch\u2018\u00ean brushed away\nhis tears and escorted him to the door, where a man, who had been\nwaiting for him, laid his hand on Ch\u2018u\u2019s head and pressed it downwards\nuntil Ch\u2018u was perfectly flat. The man then put him in a sack and\ncarried him off on his back. A few days afterwards the list came out,\nand, to his great joy, Ch\u2018\u00ean found his name among the successful\ncandidates; whereupon he immediately started off to visit his old\ntutor, Mr. L\u00fc.[103] Now Mr. L\u00fc\u2019s wife had had no children for ten\nyears, being about fifty years of age, when suddenly she gave birth to\na son, who was born with both fists doubled up so that no one could\nopen them. On his arrival Ch\u2018\u00ean begged to see the child, and declared\nthat inside its hands would be found written the word Ch\u2018u. Old Mr. L\u00fc\nlaughed at this; but no sooner had the child set eyes on Ch\u2018\u00ean than\nboth its fists opened spontaneously, and there was the word as Ch\u2018\u00ean\nhad said. The story was soon told, and Ch\u2018\u00ean went home, after making a\nhandsome present to the family; and later on, when Mr. L\u00fc went up for\nhis doctor\u2019s degree[104] and stayed at Ch\u2018\u00ean\u2019s house, his son was\nthirteen years old, and had already matriculated as a candidate for\nliterary honours.\n\n\nFOOTNOTES:\n\n[91] Buddhist priests not unusually increase the revenue of their\nmonastery by taking pupils; and it is only fair to them to add that\nthe curriculum is strictly secular, the boys learning precisely what\nthey would at an ordinary school and nothing else.\n\n[92] These consist simply of thin slips of wood dipped in brimstone,\nand resemble those used in England as late as the first quarter of the\npresent century. They are said to have been invented by the people of\nHang-chou, the capital of Chekiang; but it is quite possible that the\nhint may have first reached China from the west. They were called _yin\nkuang_ \u201cbring light,\u201d (_cf._ _lucifer_), _fa chu_ \u201cgive forth\nillumination,\u201d and other names. Lucifer matches are now generally\nspoken of as _tz\u016d lai huo_ \u201cself-come fire,\u201d and are almost\nuniversally employed, except in remote parts where the flint and steel\nstill hold sway.\n\n[93] The whole point of the story hinges on this.\n\n[94] Beside which lived Hsi Shih, the famous beauty of the fifth\ncentury after Christ.\n\n[95] I fear that the translation of this \u201cSinging-girl\u2019s Lament\u201d falls\nso considerably below the pathetic original as to give but a poor idea\nof the real merit of the latter as a lyric gem.\n\n[96] The Chinese have precisely the same mania as our Browns, Joneses,\nand Robinsons, for scribbling and carving their names and compositions\nall over the available parts of any place of public resort. The\nliterature of inn walls alone would fill many ponderous tomes.\n\n[97] The examination, which lasts nine days, has been going on all\nthis time.\n\n[98] That is, his own body, into which Ch\u2018u\u2019s spirit had temporarily\npassed, his own occupying, meanwhile, the body of his friend.\n\n[99] That is, for being born again, the sole hope and ambition of a\ndisembodied shade.\n\n[100] See No. LXXI., note 48.\n\n[101] See No. LXI., note 346.\n\n[102] His own spirit in Ch\u2018u\u2019s body had met her in a disembodied\nstate.\n\n[103] Such is the invariable custom. Large presents are usually made\nby those who can afford the outlay, and the tutor\u2019s name has ever\nafterwards an honourable place in the family records.\n\n[104] See No. XLVIII., note 274.\n\n\n\n\nLXXXVI.\n\nTHE CLOTH MERCHANT.\n\n\nA certain cloth merchant went to Ch\u2018ing-chou, where he happened to\nstroll into an old temple, all tumble-down and in ruins. He was\nlamenting over this sad state of things, when a priest who stood by\nobserved that a devout believer like himself could hardly do better\nthan put the place into repair, and thus obtain favour in the eyes of\nBuddha. This the merchant consented to do; whereupon the priest\ninvited him to walk into the private quarters of the temple, and\ntreated him with much courtesy; but he went on to propose that our\nfriend the merchant should also undertake the general ornamentation of\nthe place both inside and out.[105] The latter declared he could not\nafford the expense, and the priest began to get very angry, and urged\nhim so strongly that at last the merchant, in terror, promised to give\nall the money he had. After this he was preparing to go away, but the\npriest detained him, saying, \u201cYou haven\u2019t given the money of your own\nfree will, and consequently you\u2019ll be owing me a grudge: I can\u2019t do\nbetter than make an end of you at once.\u201d Thereupon he seized a knife,\nand refused to listen to all the cloth merchant\u2019s entreaties, until at\nlength the latter asked to be allowed to hang himself, to which the\npriest consented; and, showing him into a dark room, told him to make\nhaste about it.\n\nAt this juncture, a Tartar-General[106] happened to pass by the\ntemple; and from a distance, through a breach in the old wall, he saw\na damsel in a red dress pass into the priest\u2019s quarters. This roused\nhis suspicions,[107] and dismounting from his horse, he entered the\ntemple and searched high and low, but without discovering anything.\nThe dark room above-mentioned was locked and double-barred, and the\npriest refused to open it, saying the place was haunted. The General\nin a rage burst open the door, and there beheld the cloth merchant\nhanging from a beam. He cut him down at once, and in a short time he\nwas brought round and told the General the whole story. They then\nsearched for the damsel, but she was nowhere to be found, having been\nnothing more than a divine manifestation. The General cut off the\npriest\u2019s head and restored the cloth merchant\u2019s property to him, after\nwhich the latter put the temple in thorough repair and kept it well\nsupplied with lights and incense ever afterwards.\n\nMr. Chao, M.A., told me this story with all its details.[108]\n\n\nFOOTNOTES:\n\n[105] The elaborate gilding and wood-work of an ordinary Chinese\ntemple form a very serious item in the expense of restoration. Public\nsubscriptions are usually the means employed for raising sufficient\nfunds, the names of subscribers and amount given by each being\npublished in some conspicuous position. Occasionally devout\npriests--black swans, indeed, in China--shut themselves up in boxes\nstudded with nails, one of which they pull out every time a certain\ndonation is given, and there they remain until every nail is\nwithdrawn. But after all it is difficult to say whether they endure\nthese trials so much for the faith\u2019s sake as for the funds from which\nthey derive more of the luxuries of life, and the temporary notoriety\ngained by thus coming before the public. A Chinese proverb says, \u201cThe\nimage-maker doesn\u2019t worship Buddha. He knows too much about the idol;\u201d\nand the application of this saying may safely be extended to the\nmajority of Buddhist priests in China.\n\n[106] This is the title generally applied to the Manchu commanders of\nManchu garrisons, who are stationed at certain of the most important\npoints of the Chinese Empire, and whose presence is intended as a\ncheck upon the action of the civil authorities.\n\n[107] See No. VI., note 52.\n\n[108] The moral being, of course, that Buddha protects those who look\nafter his interests on earth.\n\n\n\n\nLXXXVII.\n\nA STRANGE COMPANION.\n\n\nHan Kung-fu, of Y\u00fc-ch\u2018\u00eang, told me that he was one day travelling\nalong a road with a man of his village, named P\u2018\u00eang, when all of a\nsudden the latter disappeared, leaving his mule to jog along with an\nempty saddle. At the same moment, Mr. Han heard his voice calling for\nassistance, and apparently proceeding from inside one of the panniers\nstrapped across the mule\u2019s back; and on looking closely, there indeed\nhe was in one of the panniers, which, however, did not seem to be at\nall displaced by his weight. On trying to get him out the mouth of the\npannier closed itself tightly; and it was only when he cut it open\nwith a knife that he saw P\u2018\u00eang curled up in it like a dog. He then\nhelped him out, and asked him how he managed to get in; but this he\nwas unable to say. It further appeared that his family was under fox\ninfluence, many strange things of this kind having happened before.\n\n\n\n\nLXXXVIII.\n\nSPIRITUALISTIC S\u00c9ANCES.\n\n\nIt is customary in Shantung, when any one is sick, for the womenfolk\nto engage an old sorceress or medium, who strums on a tambourine and\nperforms certain mysterious antics. This custom obtains even more in\nthe capital, where young ladies of the best families frequently\norganize such _s\u00e9ances_ among themselves. On a table in the hall they\nspread out a profusion of wine and meat, and burn huge candles which\nmake the place as light as day. Then the sorceress, shortening her\nskirts, stands on one leg and performs the _shang-yang_,[109] while\ntwo of the others support her, one on each side. All this time she is\nchattering unintelligible sentences,[110] something between a song\nand a prayer, the words being confused but uttered in a sort of tune;\nwhile the hall resounds with the thunder of drums, enough to stun a\nperson, with which her vaticinations are mixed up and lost. By-and-by\nher head begins to droop, and her eyes to look aslant; and but for her\ntwo supporters she would inevitably fall to the ground. Suddenly she\nstretches forth her neck and bounds several feet into the air, upon\nwhich the other women regard her in terror, saying, \u201cThe spirits have\ncome to eat;\u201d and immediately all the candles are blown out and\neverything is in total darkness. Thus they remain for about a quarter\nof an hour, afraid to speak a word, which in any case would not be\nheard through the din, until at length the sorceress calls out the\npersonal name of the head of the family[111] and some others;\nwhereupon they immediately relight the candles and hurry up to ask if\nthe reply of the spirits is favourable or otherwise. They then see\nthat every scrap of the food and every drop of the wine has\ndisappeared. Meanwhile, they watch the old woman\u2019s expression, whereby\nthey can tell if the spirits are well disposed; and each one asks her\nsome question, to which she as promptly replies. Should there be any\nunbelievers among the party, the spirits are at once aware of their\npresence; and the old sorceress, pointing her finger at such a one,\ncries out, \u201cDisrespectful mocker! where are your trousers?\u201d upon which\nthe mocker alluded to looks down, and lo! her trousers are gone--gone\nto the top of a tree in the court-yard, where they will subsequently\nbe found.[112]\n\nManchu women and girls, especially, are firm believers in\nspiritualism. On the slightest provocation they consult their medium,\nwho comes into the room gorgeously dressed, and riding on an imitation\nhorse or tiger.[113] In her hand she holds a long spear, with which\nshe mounts the couch[114] and postures in an extraordinary manner, the\nanimal she rides snorting or roaring fiercely all the time. Some call\nher Kuan Ti,[115] others Chang Fei, and others again Chou Kung, from\nher terribly martial aspect, which strikes fear into all beholders.\nAnd should any daring fellow try to peep in while the _s\u00e9ance_ is\ngoing on, out of the window darts the spear, transfixes his hat, and\ndraws it off his head into the room, while women and girls, young and\nold, hop round one after the other like geese, on one leg, without\nseeming to get the least fatigued.\n\n\nFOOTNOTES:\n\n[109] It is related in the _Family Sayings_, an apocryphal work which\nprofesses to give conversations of Confucius, that a number of\none-legged birds having suddenly appeared in Ch\u2018i, the Duke of Ch\u2018i\nsent off to ask the Sage what was the meaning of this strange\nphenomenon. Confucius replied, \u201cThe bird is the _shang-yang_, and\nportends beneficial rain.\u201d And formerly the boys and girls in Shantung\nwould hop about on one leg, crying, \u201cThe _shang-yang_ has come;\u201d after\nwhich rain would be sure to follow.\n\n[110] Speaking in the unknown tongue, like the Irvingites and others.\n\n[111] This is a clever hit. The \u201cpersonal\u201d name of a man may not be\nuttered except by his father or mother, grandfather, grandmother,\nuncles, etc. Thus, the mere use of the personal name of the _head of a\nfamily_ proves conclusively that the spirit of someone of his\nancestors must be present.\n\n[112] I consider the whole of the above a curious story to be found in\na Chinese work exactly 200 years old, but no part of it more so than\nthe forcible removal of some part of the clothing, which has been so\nprominent a feature in the _s\u00e9ances_ of our own day. It may be added\nthat in many a court-yard in Peking will be found one or more trees,\nwhich cause the view from the city wall to be very pleasing to the\neye, in spite of the filth and ruins which a closer inspection\nreveals.\n\n[113] The arrangement being that of the hobby-horse of by-gone days.\n\n[114] The couches of the north of China are brick beds, heated by a\nstove underneath, and covered with a mat. Upon one of these is\ngenerally a dwarf table and a couple of pillows; and here it is that\nthe Chinaman loves to recline, his wine-kettle, opium-pipe, or teapot\nwithin reach, and a friend at his side, with whom he may converse far\ninto the night.\n\n[115] See No. LXXIII., note 63. Chang Fei was the bosom-friend of the\nlast, and was his associate-commander in the wars of the Three\nKingdoms. Chou Kung was the first Emperor of the Chou dynasty, and a\npattern of wisdom and virtue. He is said by the Chinese to have\ninvented the mariner\u2019s compass; but the legend will not bear\ninvestigation.\n\n\n\n\nLXXXIX.\n\nTHE MYSTERIOUS HEAD.\n\n\nSeveral traders who were lodging at an inn in Peking, occupied a room\nwhich was divided from the adjoining apartment by a partition of\nboards from which a piece was missing, leaving an aperture about as\nbig as a basin. Suddenly a girl\u2019s head appeared through the opening,\nwith very pretty features and nicely dressed hair; and the next moment\nan arm, as white as polished jade. The traders were much alarmed, and,\nthinking it was the work of devils, tried to seize the head, which,\nhowever, was quickly drawn in again out of their reach. This happened\na second time, and then, as they could see no body belonging to the\nhead, one of them took a knife in his hand and crept up against the\npartition underneath the hole. In a little while the head re-appeared,\nwhen he made a chop at it and cut it off, the blood spurting out all\nover the floor and wall. The traders hurried off to tell the landlord,\nwho immediately reported the matter to the authorities, taking the\nhead with him, and the traders were forthwith arrested and examined;\nbut the magistrate could make nothing of the case, and, as no one\nappeared for the prosecution, the accused, after about six months\u2019\nincarceration, were accordingly released, and orders were given for\nthe girl\u2019s head to be buried.\n\n\n\n\nXC.\n\nTHE SPIRIT OF THE HILLS.\n\n\nA man named Li, of I-tu, was once crossing the hills when he came upon\na number of persons sitting on the ground engaged in drinking. As soon\nas they saw Li they begged him to join them, and vied with each other\nin filling his cup. Meanwhile, he looked about him and noticed that\nthe various trays and dishes contained all kinds of costly food; the\nwine only seemed to him a little rough on the palate. In the middle of\ntheir fun up came a stranger with a face about three feet long and a\nvery tall hat; whereupon the others were very much alarmed, and cried\nout, \u201cThe hill spirit! the hill spirit!\u201d running away in all\ndirections as fast as they could go. Li hid himself in a hole in the\nground; and when by-and-by he peeped out to see what had happened, the\nwine and food had disappeared, and there was nothing there but a few\ndirty potsherds and some pieces of broken tiles with efts and lizards\ncrawling over them.[116]\n\n\nFOOTNOTE:\n\n[116] Mr. Li had, doubtless, taken a \u201cdrop too much\u201d before he started\non his mountain walk.\n\n\n\n\nXCI.\n\nINGRATITUDE PUNISHED.\n\n\nK\u2018u Ta-yu was a native of the Yang district, and managed to get a\nmilitary appointment under the command of Tsu Shu-shun.[117] The\nlatter treated him most kindly, and finally sent him as Major-General\nof some troops by which he was then trying to establish the dynasty of\nthe usurping Chows. K\u2018u soon perceived that the game was lost, and\nimmediately turned his forces upon Tsu Shu-shun, whom he succeeded in\ncapturing, after Tsu had been wounded in the hand, and whom he at once\nforwarded as a prisoner to headquarters. That night he dreamed that\nthe Judge of Purgatory appeared to him, and, reproaching him with his\nbase ingratitude, bade the devil-lictors seize him and scald his feet\nin a cauldron of boiling oil. K\u2018u then woke up with a start, and found\nthat his feet were very sore and painful; and in a short time they\nswelled up, and his toes dropped off. Fever set in, and in his agony\nhe shrieked out, \u201cUngrateful wretch that I was indeed,\u201d and fell back\nand expired.\n\n\nFOOTNOTE:\n\n[117] Of whom I can learn nothing.\n\n\n\n\nXCII.\n\nSMELLING ESSAYS.[118]\n\n\nNow as they wandered about the temple they came upon an old blind\npriest sitting under the verandah, engaged in selling medicines and\nprescribing for patients. \u201cAh!\u201d cried Sung, \u201cthere is an extraordinary\nman who is well versed in the arts of composition;\u201d and immediately he\nsent back to get the essay they had just been reading, in order to\nobtain the old priest\u2019s opinion as to its merits. At the same moment\nup came their friend from Y\u00fc-hang, and all three went along together.\nWang began by addressing him as \u201cProfessor;\u201d whereupon the priest, who\nthought the stranger had come to consult him as a doctor, inquired\nwhat might be the disease from which he was suffering. Wang then\nexplained what his mission was; upon which the priest smiled and said,\n\u201cWho\u2019s been telling you this nonsense? How can a man with no eyes\ndiscuss with you the merits of your compositions?\u201d Wang replied by\nasking him to let his ears do duty for his eyes; but the priest\nanswered that he would hardly have patience to sit out Wang\u2019s three\nsections, amounting perhaps to some two thousand and more words.\n\u201cHowever,\u201d added he, \u201cif you like to burn it, I\u2019ll try what I can do\nwith my nose.\u201d Wang complied, and burnt the first section there and\nthen; and the old priest, snuffing up the smoke, declared that it\nwasn\u2019t such a bad effort, and finally gave it as his opinion that Wang\nwould probably succeed at the examination. The young scholar from\nY\u00fc-hang didn\u2019t believe that the old priest could really tell anything\nby these means, and forthwith proceeded to burn an essay by one of the\nold masters; but the priest no sooner smelt the smoke than he cried\nout, \u201cBeautiful indeed! beautiful indeed! I do enjoy this. The light\nof genius and truth is evident here.\u201d The Y\u00fc-hang scholar was greatly\nastonished at this, and began to burn an essay of his own; whereupon\nthe priest said, \u201cI had had but a taste of that one; why change so\nsoon to another?\u201d \u201cThe first paragraph,\u201d replied the young man, \u201cwas\nby a friend; the rest is my own composition.\u201d No sooner had he uttered\nthese words than the old priest began to retch violently, and begged\nthat he might have no more, as he was sure it would make him sick. The\nY\u00fc-hang scholar was much abashed at this, and went away; but in a few\ndays the list came out and his name was among the successful ones,\nwhile Wang\u2019s was not. He at once hurried off to tell the old priest,\nwho, when he heard the news, sighed and said, \u201cI may be blind with my\neyes but I am not so with my nose, which I fear is the case with the\nexaminers. Besides,\u201d added he, \u201cI was talking to you about\ncomposition: I said nothing about _destiny_.\u201d[119]\n\n\nFOOTNOTES:\n\n[118] The following extract from a long and otherwise tedious story\ntells its own tale. Wang is the modest man, and the young man from\nY\u00fc-hang the braggart. Sung is merely a friend of Wang\u2019s.\n\n[119] This is one of our author\u2019s favourite shafts--a sneer at\nexaminers in general, and those who rejected him in particular.\n\n\n\n\nXCIII.\n\nHIS FATHER\u2019S GHOST.\n\n\nA man named T\u2018ien Tz\u016d-ch\u2018\u00eang, of Chiang-ning, was crossing the\nTung-t\u2018ing lake, when the boat was capsized, and he was drowned. His\nson, Liang-ss\u016d, who, towards the close of the Ming dynasty, took the\nhighest degree, was then a baby in arms; and his wife, hearing the bad\nnews, swallowed poison forthwith,[120] and left the child to the care\nof his grandmother. When Liang-ss\u016d grew up, he was appointed\nmagistrate in Hu-pei, where he remained about a year. He was then\ntransferred to Hu-nan, on military service; but, on reaching the\nTung-t\u2018ing lake, his feelings overpowered him, and he returned to\nplead inability as an excuse for not taking up his post. Accordingly,\nhe was degraded to the rank of Assistant-Magistrate, which he at first\ndeclined, but was finally compelled to accept; and thenceforward gave\nhimself up to roaming about on the lakes and streams of the\nsurrounding country, without paying much attention to his official\nduties.\n\nOne night he had anchored his boat alongside the bank of a river, when\nsuddenly the cadence of a sweetly-played flageolet broke upon his ear;\nso he strolled along by the light of the moon in the direction of the\nmusic, until, after a few minutes\u2019 walking, he reached a cottage\nstanding by itself, with a few citron-trees round it, and\nbrilliantly-lighted inside. Approaching a window, he peeped in, and\nsaw three persons sitting at a table, engaged in drinking. In the\nplace of honour was a graduate of about thirty years of age; an old\nman played the host, and at the side sat a much younger man playing on\nthe flageolet. When he had finished, the old man clapped his hands in\nadmiration; but the graduate turned away with a sigh, as if he had not\nheard a note. \u201cCome now, Mr. Lu,\u201d cried the old man, addressing the\nlatter, \u201ckindly favour us with one of your songs, which, I know, must\nbe worth hearing.\u201d The graduate then began to sing as follows:--\n\n \u201cOver the river the wind blows cold on lonely me:\n Each flow\u2019ret trampled under foot, all verdure gone.\n At home a thousand _li_ away, I cannot be;\n So towards the Bridge my spirit nightly wanders on.\u201d\n\nThe above was given in such melancholy tones that the old man smiled\nand said, \u201cMr. Lu, these must be experiences of your own,\u201d and,\nimmediately filling a goblet, added, \u201cI can do nothing like that; but\nif you will let me, I will give you a song to help us on with our\nwine.\u201d He then sung a verse from \u201cLi T\u2018ai-poh,\u201d[121] and put them all\nin a lively humour again; after which the young man said he would just\ngo outside and see how high the moon was, which he did, and observing\nLiang-ss\u016d outside, clapped his hands, and cried out to his companions,\n\u201cThere is a man at the window, who has seen all we have been doing.\u201d\nHe then led Liang-ss\u016d in; whereupon the other two rose, and begged him\nto be seated, and to join them in their wine. The wine, however, was\ncold,[122] and he therefore declined; but the young man at once\nperceived his reason, and proceeded to warm some for him. Liang-ss\u016d\nnow ordered his servant to go and buy some more, but this his host\nwould not permit him to do. They next inquired Liang-ss\u016d\u2019s name, and\nwhence he came, and then the old man said, \u201cWhy, then, you are the\nfather and mother[123] of the district in which I live. My name is\nRiver: I am an old resident here. This young man is a Mr. Tu, of\nKiang-si; and this gentleman,\u201d added he, pointing to the graduate, \u201cis\nMr. Rushten,[124] a fellow-provincial of yours.\u201d Mr. Rushten looked\nat Liang-ss\u016d in rather a contemptuous way, and without taking much\nnotice of him; whereupon Liang-ss\u016d asked him whereabouts he lived in\nChiang-ning, observing that it was strange he himself should never\nhave heard of such an accomplished gentleman. \u201cAlas!\u201d replied Rushten,\n\u201cit is many a long day since I left my home, and I know nothing even\nof my own family. Alas, indeed!\u201d These words were uttered in so\nmournful a tone of voice that the old man broke in with, \u201cCome, come,\nnow! talking like this, instead of drinking when we\u2019re all so jolly\ntogether; this will never do.\u201d He then drained a bumper himself, and\nsaid, \u201cI propose a game of forfeits. We\u2019ll throw with three dice; and\nwhoever throws so that the spots on one die[125] equal those on the\nother two shall give us a verse with a corresponding classical\nallusion in it.\u201d He then threw himself, and turned up an ace, a two,\nand a three; whereupon he sang the following lines:--\n\n \u201cAn ace and a deuce on one side, just equal a three on the other:\n For Fan a chicken was boiled, though three years had passed, by\n Chang\u2019s mother.[126]\n Thus friends love to meet!\u201d\n\nThen the young musician threw, and turned up two twos and a four;\nwhereupon he exclaimed, \u201cDon\u2019t laugh at the feeble allusion of an\nunlearned fellow like me:--\n\n \u2018Two deuces are equal to a four:\n Four men united their valour in the old city.[127]\n Thus brothers love to meet!\u2019\u201d\n\nMr. Rushten followed with two aces and a two, and recited these\nlines:--\n\n \u201cTwo aces are equal to a two:\n Lu-hsiang stretched out his two arms and embraced his father.[128]\n Thus father and son love to meet!\u201d\n\nLiang then threw, and turned up the same as Mr. Rushten; whereupon he\nsaid:--\n\n \u201cTwo aces are equal to a two:\n Mao-jung regaled Lin-tsung with two baskets.[129]\n Thus host and guest love to meet!\u201d\n\nWhen the _partie_ was over Liang-ss\u016d rose to go, but Mr. Rushten\nsaid, \u201cDear me! why are you in such a hurry; we haven\u2019t had a moment\nto speak of the old place. Please stay: I was just going to ask you a\nfew questions.\u201d So Liang-ss\u016d sat down again, and Mr. Rushten\nproceeded. \u201cI had an old friend,\u201d said he, \u201cwho was drowned in the\nTung-t\u2018ing lake. He bore the same name as yourself; was he a\nrelative?\u201d \u201cHe was my father,\u201d replied Liang-ss\u016d; \u201chow did you know\nhim?\u201d \u201cWe were friends as boys together; and when he was drowned, I\nrecovered and buried his body by the river-side.\u201d[130] Liang-ss\u016d here\nburst into tears, and thanked Mr. Rushten very warmly, begging him to\npoint out his father\u2019s grave. \u201cCome again to-morrow,\u201d said Mr.\nRushten, \u201cand I will shew it to you. You could easily find it\nyourself. It is close by here, and has ten stalks of water-rush\ngrowing on it.\u201d Liang-ss\u016d now took his leave, and went back to his\nboat, but he could not sleep for thinking of what Mr. Rushten had told\nhim; and at length, without waiting for the dawn, he set out to look\nfor the grave. To his great astonishment, the house where he had spent\nthe previous evening had disappeared; but hunting about in the\ndirection indicated by Mr. Rushten, he found a grave with ten\nwater-rushes growing on it, precisely as Mr. Rushten had described. It\nthen flashed across him that Mr. Rushten\u2019s name had a special meaning,\nand that he had been holding converse with none other than the\ndisembodied spirit of his own father. And, on inquiring of the people\nof the place, he learnt that twenty years before a benevolent old\ngentleman, named Kao, had been in the habit of collecting the bodies\nof persons found drowned, and burying them in that spot. Liang then\nopened the grave, and carried off his father\u2019s remains to his own\nhome, where his grandmother, to whom he described Mr. Rushten\u2019s\nappearance, confirmed the suspicion he himself had formed. It also\nturned out that the young musician was a cousin of his, who had been\ndrowned when nineteen years of age; and then he recollected that the\nboy\u2019s father had subsequently gone to Kiang-si, and that his mother\nhad died there, and had been buried at the Bamboo Bridge, to which Mr.\nRushten had alluded in his song. But he did not know who the old man\nwas.[131]\n\n\nFOOTNOTES:\n\n[120] This would be regarded as a very meritorious act by the Chinese.\n\n[121] The Byron of China.\n\n[122] Chinese wine--or, more correctly, _spirits_--is always taken\nhot; hence the term wine-kettle, which frequently occurs in these\npages.\n\n[123] The Magistrate; who is supposed to be towards the people what a\nfather is to his children.\n\n[124] This singularly un-Chinese surname is employed to keep up a\ncertain play upon words which exists in the original, and which is\nimportant to the _d\u00e9nouement_ of the story. \u201cRiver\u201d is the simple\ntranslation of a name actually in use.\n\n[125] Chinese dice are the exact counterpart of our own, except that\nthe ace and the four are coloured red: the ace because the combination\nof black and white would be unlucky, and the four because this number\nonce turned up in response to the call of an Emperor of the T\u2018ang\ndynasty, who particularly wanted a four to win him the _partie_. All\nletters, despatches, and such documents, have invariably something\n_red_ about them, this being the lucky colour, and to the Chinese,\nemblematic of prosperity and joy.\n\n[126] Alluding to an ancient story of a promise by a Mr. Fan that he\nwould be at his friend Chang\u2019s house that day three years. When the\ntime drew near, Chang\u2019s mother ridiculed the notion of a man keeping a\nthree years\u2019 appointment; but, acceding to her son\u2019s instances,\nprepared a boiled chicken, which was barely ready when Fan arrived to\neat of it.\n\n[127] Alluding to the celebrated oath of confederation sworn in the\npeach garden between Kuan Y\u00fc, or Kuan Ti (see No. I., note 39), Chang\nFei (see No. LXIII., note 2), Liu Pei, who subsequently proclaimed\nhimself Emperor, A.D. 221, and Chu-ko Liang, his celebrated minister,\nto whose sage counsels most of the success of the undertaking was due.\nThe whole story is one of the best known of Chinese historical\nromances, bringing about, as it did, the downfall of the famous Han\ndynasty, which had endured for over 400 years.\n\n[128] Alluding to the story of a young man who went in search of his\nmissing father.\n\n[129] Lin-tsung saw his host kill a chicken which he thought was\ndestined for himself. However, Mao-jung served up the dainty morsel to\nhis mother, while he and his guest regaled themselves with two baskets\nof common vegetables. At this instance of filial piety, Lin-tsung had\nthe good sense to be charmed.\n\n[130] The Chinese recognise no act more worthy a virtuous man than\nthat of burying stray bones, covering up exposed coffins, and so\nforth. By such means the favour of the Gods is most surely obtained,\nto say nothing of the golden opinions of the living.\n\n[131] This is merely our author\u2019s way of putting the question of the\nold man\u2019s identity. He was the Spirit of the Waters--his name, it will\nbe recollected, was River--just, in fact, as we say Old Father Thames.\n\n\n\n\nXCIV.\n\nTHE BOAT-GIRL BRIDE.\n\n\nWang Kuli-ngan was a young man of good family. It happened once when\nhe was travelling southwards, and had moored his boat to the bank,\nthat he saw in another boat close by a young boat-girl embroidering\nshoes. He was much struck by her beauty, and continued gazing at her\nfor some time, though she took not the slightest notice of him.\nBy-and-by he began singing--\n\n \u201cThe Lo-yang lady lives over the way:\n [Fifteen years is her age I should say].\u201d[132]\n\nto attract her attention, and then she seemed to perceive that he was\naddressing himself to her; but, after just raising her head and\nglancing at him, she resumed her embroidery as before. Wang then threw\na piece of silver towards her, which fell on her skirt; however she\nmerely picked it up, and flung it on to the bank, as if she had not\nseen what it was, so Wang put it back in his pocket again. He\nfollowed up by throwing her a gold bracelet, to which she paid no\nattention whatever, never taking her eyes off her work. A few minutes\nafter her father appeared, much to the dismay of Wang, who was afraid\nhe would see the bracelet; but the young girl quietly placed her feet\nover it, and concealed it from his sight. The boatman let go the\npainter, and away they went down stream, leaving Wang sitting there,\nnot knowing what to do next. And, having recently lost his wife, he\nregretted that he had not seized this opportunity to make another\nmatch; the more so, as when he came to ask the other boat-people of\nthe place, no one knew anything about them. So Wang got into his own\nboat, and started off in pursuit; but evening came on, and, as he\ncould see nothing of them, he was obliged to turn back and proceed in\nthe direction where business was taking him. When he had finished\nthat, he returned, making inquiries all the way along, but without\nhearing anything about the object of his search. On arriving at home,\nhe was unable either to eat or to sleep, so much did this affair\noccupy his mind; and about a year afterwards he went south again,\nbought a boat, and lived in it as his home, watching carefully every\nsingle vessel that passed either up or down, until at last there was\nhardly one he didn\u2019t know by sight. But all this time the boat he was\nlooking for never reappeared.\n\nSome six months passed away thus, and then, having exhausted all his\nfunds, he was obliged to go home, where he remained in a state of\ngeneral inaptitude for anything. One night he dreamed that he entered\na village on the river-bank, and that, after passing several houses,\nhe saw one with a door towards the south, and a palisade of bamboos\ninside. Thinking it was a garden, he walked in and beheld a beautiful\nmagnolia, covered with blossoms, which reminded him of the line--\n\n \u201cAnd Judas-tree in flower before her door.\u201d[133]\n\nA few steps farther on was a neat bamboo hedge, on the other side of\nwhich, towards the north, he found a small house, with three columns,\nthe door of which was locked; and another, towards the south, with its\nwindow shaded by the broad leaves of a plaintain-tree. The door was\nbarred by a clothes-horse,[134] on which was hanging an embroidered\npetticoat; and, on seeing this, Wang stepped back, knowing that he had\ngot to the ladies\u2019 quarters; but his presence had already been noticed\ninside, and, in another moment, out came his heroine of the boat.\nOverjoyed at seeing her, he was on the point of grasping her hand,\nwhen suddenly the girl\u2019s father arrived, and, in his consternation,\nWang waked up, and found that it was all a dream. Every incident of\nit, however, remained clear and distinct in his mind, and he took care\nto say nothing about it to anybody, for fear of destroying its\nreality.\n\nAnother year passed away, and he went again to Chinkiang, where lived\nan official, named Hs\u00fc, who was an old friend of the family, and who\ninvited Wang to come and take a cup of wine with him. On his way\nthither, Wang lost his way, but at length reached a village which\nseemed familiar to him, and which he soon found, by the door with the\nmagnolia inside, to be identical, in every particular, with the\nvillage of his dream. He went in through the doorway, and there was\neverything as he had seen it in his dream, even to the boat-girl\nherself. She jumped up on his arrival, and, shutting the door in his\nface, asked what his business was there. Wang inquired if she had\nforgotten about the bracelet, and went on to tell her how long he had\nbeen searching for her, and how, at last, she had been revealed to him\nin a dream. The girl then begged to know his name and family; and when\nshe heard who he was, she asked what a gentleman like himself could\nwant with a poor boat-girl like her, as he must have a wife of his\nown. \u201cBut for you,\u201d replied Wang, \u201cI should, indeed, have been married\nlong ago.\u201d Upon which the girl told him if that was really the case,\nhe had better apply to her parents, \u201calthough,\u201d added she, \u201cthey have\nalready refused a great many offers for me. The bracelet you gave me\nis here, but my father and mother are just now away from home; they\nwill be back shortly. You go away now and engage a match-maker, when I\ndare say it will be all right if the proper formalities are observed.\u201d\nWang then retired, the girl calling after him to remember that her\nname was M\u00eang Y\u00fcn, and her father\u2019s M\u00eang Chiang-li. He proceeded at\nonce on his way to Mr. Hs\u00fc\u2019s, and after that sought out his intended\nfather-in-law, telling him who he was, and offering him at the same\ntime one hundred ounces of silver, as betrothal-money for his\ndaughter. \u201cShe is already promised,\u201d replied the old man; upon which\nWang declared he had been making careful inquiries, and had heard, on\nall sides, that the young lady was not engaged, winding up by begging\nto know what objection there was to his suit. \u201cI have just promised\nher,\u201d answered her father, \u201cand I cannot possibly break my word;\u201d so\nWang went away, deeply mortified, not knowing whether to believe it or\nnot. That night he tossed about a good deal; and next morning, braving\nthe ridicule with which he imagined his friend would view his\nwished-for alliance with a boat-girl, he went off to Mr. Hs\u00fc, and told\nhim all about it. \u201cWhy didn\u2019t you consult me before?\u201d cried Mr. Hs\u00fc;\n\u201cher father is a connection of mine.\u201d Wang then went on to give\nfuller particulars, which his friend interrupted by saying, \u201cChang-li\nis indeed poor, but he has never been a boatman. Are you sure you are\nnot making a mistake?\u201d He then sent off his elder son to make\ninquiries; and to him the girl\u2019s father said, \u201cPoor I am, but I don\u2019t\n_sell_ my daughter.[135] Your friend imagined that I should be tempted\nby the sight of his money to forego the usual ceremonies, and so I\nwon\u2019t have anything to do with him. But if your father desires this\nmatch, and everything is in proper order, I will just go in and\nconsult with my daughter, and see if she is willing.\u201d He then retired\nfor a few minutes, and when he came back he raised his hands in\ncongratulation, saying, \u201cEverything is as you wish;\u201d whereupon a day\nwas fixed, and the young man went home to report to his father. Wang\nnow sent off betrothal presents, with the usual formalities, and took\nup his abode with his friend, Mr. Hs\u00fc, until the marriage was\nsolemnized, three days after which he bade adieu to his father-in-law,\nand started on his way northwards. In the evening, as they were\nsitting on the boat together, Wang said to his wife, \u201cWhen I first met\nyou near this spot, I fancied you were not of the ordinary\nboating-class. Where were you then going?\u201d \u201cI was going to visit my\nuncle,\u201d she replied. \u201cWe are not a wealthy family, you know, but we\ndon\u2019t want anything through an improper channel; and I couldn\u2019t help\nsmiling at the great eyes you were making at me, all the time trying\nto tempt me with money. But when I heard you speak, I knew at once you\nwere a man of refinement, though I guessed you were a bit of a rake;\nand so I hid your bracelet, and saved you from the wrath of my\nfather.\u201d \u201cAnd yet,\u201d replied Wang, \u201cyou have fallen into my snare after\nall;\u201d adding, after a little pressure, \u201cfor I can\u2019t conceal from you\nmuch longer the fact that I have already a wife, belonging to a high\nofficial family.\u201d This she did not believe, until he began to affirm\nit seriously; and then she jumped up and ran out of the cabin. Wang\nfollowed at once, but, before he could reach her, she was already in\nthe river; whereupon he shouted out to boats to come to their\nassistance, causing quite a commotion all round about; but nothing was\nto be seen in the river, save only the reflection of the stars shining\nbrightly on the water. All night long Wang went sorrowfully up and\ndown, and offered a high reward for the body, which, however, was not\nforthcoming. So he went home in despair, and then, fearing lest his\nfather-in-law should come to visit his daughter, he started on a visit\nto a connection of his, who had an appointment in Honan. In the course\nof a year or two, when on his homeward journey, he chanced to be\ndetained by bad weather at a roadside inn of rather cleaner appearance\nthan usual. Within he saw an old woman playing with a child, which, as\nsoon as he entered, held out its arms to him to be taken. Wang took\nthe child on his knee, and there it remained, refusing to go back to\nits nurse; and, when the rain had stopped, and Wang was getting ready\nto go, the child cried out, \u201cPa-pa gone!\u201d The nurse told it to hold\nits tongue, and, at the same moment, out from behind the screen came\nWang\u2019s long-lost wife. \u201cYou bad fellow,\u201d said she, \u201cwhat am I to do\nwith this?\u201d pointing to the child; and then Wang knew that the boy was\nhis own son. He was much affected, and swore by the sun[136] that the\nwords he had uttered had been uttered in jest, and by-and-by his\nwife\u2019s anger was soothed. She then explained how she had been picked\nup by a passing boat, the occupant of which was the owner of the house\nthey were in, a man of sixty years of age, who had no children of his\nown, and who kindly adopted her.[137] She also told him how she had\nhad several offers of marriage, all of which she had refused, and how\nher child was born, and that she had called him Chi-sh\u00eang, and that he\nwas then a year old. Wang now unpacked his baggage again, and went in\nto see the old gentleman and his wife, whom he treated as if they had\nactually been his wife\u2019s parents. A few days afterwards they set off\ntogether towards Wang\u2019s home, where they found his wife\u2019s real father\nawaiting them. He had been there more than two months, and had been\nconsiderably disconcerted by the mysterious remarks of Wang\u2019s\nservants; but the arrival of his daughter and her husband made things\nall smooth again, and when they told him what had happened, he\nunderstood the demeanour of the servants which had seemed so strange\nto him at first.\n\n\nFOOTNOTES:\n\n[132] From a poem by Wang Wei, a noted poet of the T\u2018ang dynasty. The\nsecond line is not given in the text.\n\n[133] From a poem by P\u2018an T\u2018ang-sh\u00ean, which runs:--\n\n \u201cHer rustic home stands by the Tung-t\u2018ing lake.\n Ye who would there a pure libation pour,\n Look for mud walls--a roof of rushy make--\n And Judas-tree in flower before the door.\u201d\n\nThe Chinese believe that the Judas-tree will only bloom where\nfraternal love prevails.\n\n[134] I have already observed that men and women should not let their\nhands touch when passing things to each other (see No. XL., note 233);\nneither is it considered proper for persons of different sexes to hang\ntheir clothes on the same clothes-horse. (See _Appendix_, note 381.)\n\nWith regard to shaking hands, I have omitted to mention how hateful\nthis custom is in the eyes of the Chinese, as in vogue among\nforeigners, without reference to sex. They believe that a bad man\nmight easily secrete some noxious drug in the palm of his hand, and so\nconvey it into the system of any woman, who would then be at his\nmercy.\n\n[135] Alluding to Wang\u2019s breach of etiquette in visiting the father\nhimself, instead of sending a go-between, who would have offered the\nsame sum in due form as the usual dowry or present to the bride\u2019s\nfamily.\n\n[136] Witnesses in a Chinese court of justice take no oath, in our\nsense of the term. Their written depositions, however, are always\nended with the words \u201cthe above evidence is the truth!\u201d In ordinary\nlife people call heaven and earth to witness, or, as in this case, the\nsun; or they declare themselves willing to forfeit their lives; and so\non, if their statements are not true. \u201cSaucer-breaking\u201d is one of\nthose pleasant inductions from probably a single instance, which may\nhave been the fancy of a moment; at any rate, it is quite unknown in\nChina as a national custom. \u201cCock-killing\u201d usually has reference to\nthe ceremonies of initiation performed by the members of the numerous\nsecret societies which exist over the length and breadth of the\nEmpire, in spite of Government prohibitions, and the penalty of death\nincurred upon detection.\n\n[137] Adoption is common all over China, and is regulated by law. For\ninstance, an adopted son excludes all the daughters of the family. A\nman is not allowed to marry a girl whom he has adopted until he shall\nhave given her away to be adopted in a family of a _different surname\nfrom his own_; after which fictitious ceremony, his marriage with her\nbecomes legal (see No. XV., note 109); for the child adopted takes the\nsame surname as that of the family into which he is adopted, and is so\nfar cut off from his own relations, that he would not venture even to\nput on mourning for his real parents without first obtaining the\nconsent of those who had adopted him. A son or daughter may be sold,\nbut an adopted child may not; neither may the adopted child be given\naway in adoption to any one else without the specific consent of his\nreal parents. The general object in adopting children is to leave some\none behind at death to look after the duties of ancestral worship. For\nthis boys are preferred; but the _Fortunate Union_ gives an instance\nin which these rites were very creditably performed by the heroine of\nthe tale.\n\n\n\n\nXCV.\n\nTHE TWO BRIDES.[138]\n\n\nNow Chi-sh\u00eang, or Wang Sun, was one of the cleverest young fellows in\nthe district; and his father and mother, who had foreseen his ability\nfrom the time when, as a baby in long clothes, he distinguished them\nfrom other people, loved him very dearly. He grew up into a handsome\nlad; at eight or nine he could compose elegantly, and by fourteen he\nhad already entered his name as a candidate for the first degree,\nafter which his marriage became a question for consideration. Now his\nfather\u2019s younger sister, Erh-niang, had married a gentleman named\nCh\u00eang Tz\u016d-ch\u2018iao, and they had a daughter called Kuei-hsiu, who was\nextremely pretty, and with whom Chi-sh\u00eang fell deeply in love, being\nsoon unable either to eat or to sleep. His parents became extremely\nuneasy about him, and inquired what it was that ailed him; and when he\ntold them, they at once sent off a match-maker to Mr. Ch\u00eang. The\nlatter, however, was rather a stickler for the proprieties, and\nreplied that the near relationship precluded him from accepting the\noffer.[139] Thereupon Chi-sh\u00eang became dangerously ill, and his\nmother, not knowing what to do, secretly tried to persuade Erh-niang\nto let her daughter come over to their house; but Mr. Ch\u00eang heard of\nit, and was so angry that Chi-sh\u00eang\u2019s father and mother gave up all\nhope of arranging the match.\n\nAt that time there was a gentleman named Chang living near by, who had\nfive daughters, all very pretty, but the youngest, called Wu-k\u2018o, was\nsingularly beautiful, far surpassing her four sisters. She was not\nbetrothed to any one, when one day, as she was on her way to worship\nat the family tombs, she chanced to see Chi-sh\u00eang, and at her return\nhome spoke about him to her mother. Her mother guessed what her\nmeaning was, and arranged with a match-maker, named Mrs. Y\u00fc, to call\nupon Chi-sh\u00eang\u2019s parents. This she did precisely at the time when\nChi-sh\u00eang was so ill, and forthwith told his mother that her son\u2019s\ncomplaint was one she, Mrs. Y\u00fc, was quite competent to cure; going on\nto tell her about Miss Wu-k\u2018o and the proposed marriage, at which the\ngood lady was delighted, and sent her in to talk about it to Chi-sh\u00eang\nhimself. \u201cAlas!\u201d cried he, when he had heard Mrs. Y\u00fc\u2019s story, \u201cyou are\nbringing me the wrong medicine for my complaint.\u201d \u201cAll depends upon\nthe efficacy of the medicine,\u201d replied Mrs. Y\u00fc; \u201cif the medicine is\ngood, it matters not what is the name of the doctor who administers\nthe draught; while to set your heart on a particular person, and to\nlie there and die because that person doesn\u2019t come, is surely foolish\nin the extreme.\u201d \u201cAh,\u201d rejoined Chi-sh\u00eang, \u201cthere\u2019s no medicine under\nheaven that will do me any good.\u201d Mrs. Y\u00fc told him his experience was\nlimited, and proceeded to expatiate by speaking and gesticulating on\nthe beauty and liveliness of Wu-k\u2018o. But all Chi-sh\u00eang said was that\nshe was not what he wanted, and, turning round his face to the wall,\nwould listen to no more about her. So Mrs. Y\u00fc was obliged to go away,\nand Chi-sh\u00eang became worse and worse every day, until suddenly one of\nthe maids came in and informed him that the young lady herself was at\nthe door. Immediately he jumped up and ran out, and lo! there before\nhim stood a beautiful girl, whom, however he soon discovered not to be\nKuei-hsiu. She wore a light yellow robe with a fine silk jacket and an\nembroidered petticoat, from beneath which her two little feet peeped\nout; and altogether she more resembled a fairy than anything else.\nChi-sh\u00eang inquired her name; to which she replied that it was Wu-k\u2018o,\nadding that she couldn\u2019t understand his devoted attachment to\nKuei-hsiu, as if there was nobody else in the world. Chi-sh\u00eang\napologized, saying that he had never before seen any one so beautiful\nas Kuei-hsiu, but that he was now aware of his mistake. He then swore\neverlasting fidelity to her, and was just grasping her hand, when he\nawoke and found his mother rubbing him. It was a dream, but so\naccurately defined in all its details that he began to think if Wu-k\u2018o\nwas really such as he had seen her, there would be no further need to\ntry for his impracticable cousin. So he communicated his dream to his\nmother; and she, only too delighted to notice this change of feeling,\noffered to go to Wu-k\u2018o\u2019s house herself; but Chi-sh\u00eang would not hear\nof this, and arranged with an old woman who knew the family to find\nsome pretext for going there, and to report to him what Wu-k\u2018o was\nlike. When she arrived Wu-k\u2018o was ill in bed, and lay with her head\npropped up by pillows, looking very pretty indeed. The old woman\napproached the couch and asked what was the matter; to which Wu-k\u2018o\nmade no reply, her fingers fidgetting all the time with her waistband.\n\u201cShe\u2019s been behaving badly to her father and mother,\u201d cried the\nlatter, who was in the room; \u201cthere\u2019s many a one has offered to marry\nher, but she says she\u2019ll have none but Chi-sh\u00eang: and then when I\nscold her a bit, she takes on and won\u2019t touch her food for days.\u201d\n\u201cMadam,\u201d said the old woman, \u201cif you could get that young man for your\ndaughter they would make a truly pretty pair; and as for him, if he\ncould only see Miss Wu-k\u2018o, I\u2019m afraid it would be too much for him.\nWhat do you think of my going there and getting them to make\nproposals?\u201d \u201cNo, thank you,\u201d replied Wu-k\u2018o; \u201cI would rather not risk\nhis refusal;\u201d upon which the old woman declared she would succeed, and\nhurried off to tell Chi-sh\u00eang, who was delighted to find from her\nreport that Wu-k\u2018o was exactly as he had seen her in his dream, though\nhe didn\u2019t trust implicitly in all the old woman said. By-and-by, when\nhe began to get a little better, he consulted with the old woman as to\nhow he could see Wu-k\u2018o with his own eyes; and, after some little\ndifficulty, it was arranged that Chi-sh\u00eang should hide himself in a\nroom from which he would be able to see her as she crossed the yard\nsupported by a maid, which she did every day at a certain hour. This\nChi-sh\u00eang proceeded to do, and in a little while out she came,\naccompanied by the old woman as well, who instantly drew her attention\neither to the clouds or the trees, in order that she should walk more\nleisurely. Thus Chi-sh\u00eang had a good look at her, and saw that she was\ntruly the young lady of his dream. He could hardly contain himself for\njoy; and when the old woman arrived and asked if she would do instead\nof Kuei-hsiu, he thanked her very warmly and returned to his own home.\nThere he told his father and mother, who sent off a match-maker to\narrange the preliminaries; but the latter came back and told them that\nWu-k\u2018o was already betrothed. This was a terrible blow for Chi-sh\u00eang,\nwho was soon as ill as ever, and offered no reply to his father and\nmother when they charged him with having made a mistake. For several\nmonths he ate nothing but a bowl of rice-gruel a-day, and he became as\nemaciated as a fowl, when all of a sudden the old woman walked in and\nasked him what was the matter. \u201cFoolish boy,\u201d said she, when he had\ntold her all; \u201cbefore you wouldn\u2019t have her, and do you imagine she is\nbound to have you now? But I\u2019ll see if I can\u2019t help you; for were she\nthe Emperor\u2019s own daughter, I should still find some way of getting\nher.\u201d Chi-sh\u00eang asked what he should do, and she then told him to send\na servant with a letter next day to Wu-k\u2018o\u2019s house, to which his\nfather at first objected for fear of another repulse; but the old\nwoman assured him that Wu-k\u2018o\u2019s parents had since repented, besides\nwhich no written contract had as yet been made; \u201cand you know the\nproverb,\u201d added she, \u201cthat those who are first at the fire will get\ntheir dinner first.\u201d So Chi-sh\u00eang\u2019s father agreed, and two servants\nwere accordingly sent, their mission proving a complete success.\nChi-sh\u00eang now rapidly recovered his health, and thought no more of\nKuei-hsiu, who, when she heard of the intended match, became in her\nturn very seriously ill, to the great anger of her father, who said\nshe might die for all he cared, but to the great sorrow of her mother,\nwho was extremely fond of her daughter. The latter even went so far as\nto propose to Mr. Chang that Kuei-hsiu should go as second wife, at\nwhich he was so enraged that he declared he would wash his hands of\nthe girl altogether. The mother then found out when Chi-sh\u00eang\u2019s\nwedding was to take place; and, borrowing a chair and attendants from\nher brother under pretence of going to visit him, put Kuei-hsiu inside\nand sent her off to her uncle\u2019s house. As she arrived at the door, the\nservants spread a carpet for her to walk on, and the band struck up\nthe wedding march. Chi-sh\u00eang went out to see what it was all about,\nand there met a young lady in a bridal veil, from whom he would have\nescaped had not her servants surrounded them, and, before he knew what\nhe was doing, he was making her the usual salutation of a bridegroom.\nThey then went in together, and, to his further astonishment, he found\nthat the young lady was Kuei-hsiu; and, being now unable to go and\nmeet Wu-k\u2018o, a message was sent to her father, telling him what had\noccurred. He, too, got into a great rage, and vowed he would break off\nthe match; but Wu-k\u2018o herself said she would go all the same, her\nrival having only got the start of her in point of time. And go she\ndid; and the two wives, instead of quarrelling, as was expected, lived\nvery happily together like sisters, and wore each other\u2019s clothes and\nshoes without distinction, Kuei-hsiu taking the place of an elder\nsister as being somewhat older than Wu-k\u2018o.[140] One day, after these\nevents, Chi-sh\u00eang asked Wu-k\u2018o why she had refused his offer; to which\nshe replied that it was merely to pay him out for having previously\nrefused her father\u2019s proposal. \u201cBefore you had seen me, your head was\nfull of Kuei-hsiu; but after you had seen me, your thoughts were\nsomewhat divided; and I wanted to know how I compared with her, and\nwhether you would fall ill on my account as you had on hers, that we\nmightn\u2019t quarrel about our looks.\u201d \u201cIt was a cruel revenge,\u201d said\nChi-sh\u00eang; \u201cbut how should I ever have got a sight of you had it not\nbeen for the old woman?\u201d \u201cWhat had she to do with it?\u201d replied Wu-k\u2018o;\n\u201cI knew you were behind the door all the time. When I was ill I dreamt\nthat I went to your house and saw you, but I looked upon it only as a\ndream until I heard that you had dreamt that I had actually been\nthere, and then I knew that my spirit must have been with you.\u201d\nChi-sh\u00eang now related to her the particulars of his vision, which\ncoincided exactly with her own; and thus, strangely enough, had the\nmatrimonial alliances of both father and son been brought about by\ndreams.\n\n\nFOOTNOTES:\n\n[138] This story is a sequel to the last.\n\n[139] The surnames would in this case be different, and no obstacle\ncould be offered on that score. See No. XV., note 109.\n\n[140] The _d\u00e9nouement_ of the _Y\u00fc-chiao-li_, a small novel which was\ntranslated into French by R\u00e9musat, and again by Julien under the title\nof _Les Deux Cousines_, is effected by the hero of the tale marrying\nboth the heroines.\n\n\n\n\nXCVI.\n\nA SUPERNATURAL WIFE.\n\n\nA certain Mr. Chao, of Ch\u2018ang-shan, lodged in a family of the name of\nT\u2018ai. He was very badly off, and, falling sick, was brought almost to\ndeath\u2019s door. One day they moved him into the verandah, that it might\nbe cooler for him; and, when he awoke from a nap, lo! a beautiful girl\nwas standing by his side. \u201cI am come to be your wife,\u201d said the girl,\nin answer to his question as to who she was; to which he replied that\na poor fellow like himself did not look for such luck as that; adding\nthat, being then on his death-bed, he would not have much occasion for\nthe services of a wife. The girl said she could cure him; but he told\nher he very much doubted that; \u201cAnd even,\u201d continued he, \u201cshould you\nhave any good prescription, I have not the means of getting it made\nup.\u201d \u201cI don\u2019t want medicine to cure you with,\u201d rejoined the girl,\nproceeding at once to rub his back and sides with her hand, which\nseemed to him like a ball of fire. He soon began to feel much better,\nand asked the young lady what her name was, in order, as he said, that\nhe might remember her in his prayers. \u201cI am a spirit,\u201d replied she;\n\u201cand you, when alive under the Han dynasty as Ch\u2018u Sui-liang, were a\nbenefactor of my family. Your kindness being engraven on my heart, I\nhave at length succeeded in my search for you, and am able in some\nmeasure to requite you.\u201d Chao was dreadfully ashamed of his\npoverty-stricken state, and afraid that his dirty room would spoil the\nyoung lady\u2019s dress; but she made him show her in, and accordingly he\ntook her into his apartment, where there were neither chairs to sit\nupon, nor signs of anything to eat, saying, \u201cYou might, indeed, be\nable to put up with all this; but you see my larder is empty, and I\nhave absolutely no means of supporting a wife.\u201d \u201cDon\u2019t be alarmed\nabout that,\u201d cried she; and in another moment he saw a couch covered\nwith costly robes, the walls papered with a silver-flecked paper, and\nchairs and tables appear, the latter laden with all kinds of wine and\nexquisite viands. They then began to enjoy themselves, and lived\ntogether as husband and wife, many people coming to witness these\nstrange things, and being all cordially received by the young lady,\nwho in her turn always accompanied Mr. Chao when he went out to dinner\nanywhere.[141] One day there was an unprincipled young graduate among\nthe company, which she seemed immediately to become aware of; and,\nafter calling him several bad names, she struck him on the side of the\nhead, causing his head to fly out of the window while his body\nremained inside; and there he was, stuck fast, unable to move either\nway, until the others interceded for him and he was released. After\nsome time visitors became too numerous, and if she refused to see them\nthey turned their anger against her husband. At length, as they were\nsitting together drinking with some friends at the Tuan-yang\nfestival,[142] a white rabbit ran in, whereupon the girl jumped up and\nsaid, \u201cThe doctor[143] has come for me;\u201d then, turning to the rabbit,\nshe added, \u201cYou go on: I\u2019ll follow you.\u201d So the rabbit went away, and\nthen she ordered them to get a ladder and place it against a high tree\nin the back yard, the top of the ladder overtopping the tree. The\nyoung lady went up first and Chao close behind her; after which she\ncalled out to anybody who wished to join them to make haste up. None\nventured to do so with the exception of a serving-boy belonging to the\nhouse, who followed after Chao; and thus they went up, up, up, up,\nuntil they disappeared in the clouds and were seen no more. However,\nwhen the bystanders came to look at the ladder, they found it was only\nan old door-frame with the panels knocked out; and when they went into\nMr. Chao\u2019s room, it was the same old, dirty, unfurnished room as\nbefore. So they determined to find out all about it from the\nserving-boy when he came back; but this he never did.\n\n\nFOOTNOTES:\n\n[141] The sexes do not dine together. On the occasion of a\ndinner-party, private or official, the ladies give a separate\nentertainment to the wives of the various guests in the \u201cinner\u201d or\nwomen\u2019s apartments, as an adjunct to which a theatrical troupe is\noften engaged, precisely as in the case of the opposite sex.\nSinging-girls are, however, present at and share in the banquets of\nthe _rou\u00e9s_ of China.\n\n[142] This occurs on the 5th of the 5th moon, and is commonly known as\nthe Dragon-Boat Festival, from a practice of racing on that day in\nlong, narrow boats. It is said to have been instituted in memory of a\npatriotic statesman, whose identity, however, is not settled, some\nwriters giving Wu Yun (see _The Middle Kingdom_, Vol. II., p. 82),\nothers Ch\u2018\u00fc Y\u00fcan (see _The Chinese Reader\u2019s Manual_, p. 107), as the\nhero of the day.\n\n[143] A hare or rabbit is believed to sit at the foot of the\ncassia-tree in the moon, pounding the drugs out of which is concocted\nthe elixir of immortality. An allusion to this occurs in the poems of\nTu Fu, one of the celebrated bards of the T\u2018ang dynasty:--\n\n \u201cThe frog is not drowned in the river;\n The medicine hare lives for ever.\u201d\n\n\n\n\nXCVII.\n\nBRIBERY AND CORRUPTION.\n\n\nAt Pao-ting Fu there lived a young man, who having purchased the\nlowest[144] degree was about to proceed to Peking, in the hope of\nobtaining, by the aid of a little bribery, an appointment as District\nMagistrate. His boxes were all ready packed, when he was taken\nsuddenly ill and was confined to his bed for more than a month. One\nday the servant entered and announced a visitor; whereupon our sick\nman jumped up and ran to the door as if there was nothing the matter\nwith him. The visitor was elegantly dressed like a man of some\nposition in society; and, after bowing thrice, he walked into the\nhouse, explaining that he was Kung-sun Hsia,[145] tutor to the\nEleventh Prince, and that he had heard our Mr. So-and-so wished to\narrange for the purchase of a magistracy. \u201cIf that is really so,\u201d\nadded he, \u201cwould you not do better to buy a prefecture?\u201d So-and-so\nthanked him warmly, but said his funds would not be sufficient; upon\nwhich Mr. Kung-sun declared he should be delighted to assist him with\nhalf the purchase-money, which he could repay after taking up the\npost.[146] He went on to say that being on intimate terms with the\nvarious provincial Governors the thing could be easily managed for\nabout five thousand taels; and also that at that very moment Ch\u00ean-ting\nFu being vacant, it would be as well to make an early effort to get\nthe appointment. So-and-so pointed out that this place was in his\nnative province;[147] but Kung-sun only laughed at his objection, and\nreminded him that money[148] could obliterate all distinctions of that\nkind. This did not seem quite satisfactory; however, Kung-sun told him\nnot to be alarmed, as the post of which he was speaking was below in\nthe infernal regions. \u201cThe fact is,\u201d said he, \u201cthat your term of life\nhas expired, and that your name is already on the death list; by these\nmeans you will take your place in the world below as a man of official\nposition. Farewell! in three days we shall meet again.\u201d He then went\nto the door and mounted his horse and rode away. So-and-so now opened\nhis eyes and spoke a few parting words to his wife and children,\nbidding them take money from his strong-room[149] and go buy large\nquantities of paper ingots,[150] which they immediately did, quite\nexhausting all the shops. This was piled in the court-yard with paper\nimages of men, devils, horses, &c., and burning went on day and night\nuntil the ashes formed quite a hill. In three days Kung-sun returned,\nbringing with him the money; upon which So-and-so hurried off to the\nBoard of Civil Office,[151] where he had an interview with the high\nofficials, who, after asking his name, warned him to be a pure and\nupright officer, and then calling him up to the table handed him his\nletter of appointment. So-and-so bowed and took his leave; but\nrecollecting at once that his purchased degree would not carry much\nweight with it in the eyes of his subordinates,[152] he sent off to\nbuy elaborate chairs and a number of horses for his retinue, at the\nsame time despatching several devil lictors to fetch his favourite\nwife in a beautifully adorned sedan-chair. All arrangements were just\ncompleted when some of the Ch\u00ean-ting staff came to meet the new\nPrefect,[153] others awaiting him all along the line of road, about\nhalf a mile in length. He was immensely gratified at this reception,\nwhen all of a sudden the gongs before him ceased to sound and the\nbanners were lowered to the ground. He had hardly time to ask what was\nthe matter before he saw those of his servants who were on horseback\njump hastily to the ground and dwindle down to about a foot in height,\nwhile their horses shrunk to the size of foxes or racoons. One of the\nattendants near his chariot cried out in alarm, \u201cHere\u2019s Kuan Ti!\u201d[154]\nand then he, too, jumped out in a fright, and saw in the distance Kuan\nTi himself slowly approaching them, followed by four or five retainers\non horseback. His great beard covered the lower half of his face,\nquite unlike ordinary mortals; his aspect was terrible to behold, and\nhis eyes reached nearly to his ears. \u201cWho is this?\u201d roared he to his\nservants; and they immediately informed him that it was the new\nPrefect of Ch\u00ean-ting. \u201cWhat!\u201d cried he; \u201ca petty fellow like that to\nhave a retinue like this?\u201d[155] Whereupon So-and-so\u2019s flesh began to\ncreep with fear, and in a few moments he found that he too had shrunk\nto the size of a little boy of six or seven. Kuan Ti bade his\nattendants bring the new Prefect with them, and went into a building\nat the roadside, where he took up his seat facing the south[156] and\ncalling for writing materials told So-and-so to write down his name\nand address. When this was handed to him he flew into a towering\npassion, and said, \u201cThe scribbly scrawl of a placeman, indeed![157]\nCan such a one be entrusted with the welfare of the people? Look me up\nthe record of his good works.\u201d A man then advanced, and whispered\nsomething in a low tone; upon which Kuan Ti exclaimed in a loud voice,\n\u201cThe crime of the briber is comparatively trifling; the heavy guilt\nlies with those who sell official posts for money.\u201d So-and-so was now\nseized by angels in golden armour, and two of them tore off his cap\nand robes, and administered to him fifty blows with the bamboo until\nhardly any flesh remained on his bones. He was then thrust outside the\ndoor, and lo! his carriages and horses had disappeared, and he himself\nwas lying, unable to walk for pain, at no great distance from his own\nhouse. However, his body seemed as light as a leaf, and in a day and\na night he managed to crawl home. When he arrived, he awoke as it were\nfrom a dream, and found himself groaning upon the bed; and to the\ninquiries of his family he only replied that he felt dreadfully sore.\nNow he really had been dead for seven days; and when he came round\nthus, he immediately asked for A-lien, which was the name of his\nfavourite wife. But the very day before, while chatting with the other\nmembers of the family, A-lien had suddenly cried out that her husband\nwas made Prefect of Ch\u00ean-ting, and that his lictors had come to escort\nher thither. Accordingly she retired to dress herself in her best\nclothes, and, when ready to start, she fell back and expired. Hearing\nthis sad story, So-and-so began to mourn and beat his breast, and he\nwould not allow her to be buried at once, in the hope that she might\nyet come round; but this she never did. Meanwhile So-and-so got slowly\nbetter, and by the end of six months was able to walk again. He would\noften exclaim, \u201cThe ruin of my career and the punishment I\nreceived--all this I could have endured; but the loss of my dear\nA-lien is more than I can bear.\u201d[158]\n\n\nFOOTNOTES:\n\n[144] By which he would become eligible for Government employ. The\nsale of degrees has been extensively carried on under the present\ndynasty, as a means of replenishing an empty Treasury.\n\n[145] Kung-sun is an example of a Chinese double surname.\n\n[146] Such is the common system of repaying the loan, by means of\nwhich an indigent nominee is enabled to defray the expenses of his\njourney to the post to which he has been appointed, and other calls\nupon his purse. These loans are generally provided by some \u201cwestern\u201d\nmerchant, which term is an ellipsis for a \u201cShansi\u201d banker, Shansi\nbeing literally \u201cwest of the mountains.\u201d Some one accompanies the\nnewly-made official to his post, and holds his commission in pawn\nuntil the amount is repaid; which settlement is easily effected by the\nissue of some well-understood proclamation, calling, for instance,\nupon the people to close all gambling-houses within a given period.\nImmediately the owners of these hells forward presents of money to the\nincoming official, the Shansi banker gets his principal with interest,\nperhaps at the rate of 2 per cent. _per month_, the gambling-houses\ncarry on as usual, and everybody is perfectly satisfied.\n\n[147] Which fact would disqualify him from taking the post.\n\n[148] Literally, \u201cSquare hole.\u201d A common name for the Chinese cash.\nSee No. II., note 42.\n\n[149] In the case of wealthy families these strong rooms often\ncontain, in addition to bullion, jewels to a very great amount\nbelonging to the ladies of the house; and, as a rule, the door may not\nbe opened unless in the presence of a certain number of the male\nrepresentatives of the house.\n\n[150] Pieces of silver and gold paper made up to represent the\nordinary Chinese \u201cshoes\u201d of bullion (See No. XVIII., note 133), and\nburnt for the use of the dead. Generally known to foreigners in China\nas \u201cjoss-paper.\u201d\n\n[151] See No. VII., note 54. In this case the reference is to a\nsimilar Board in the Infernal Regions.\n\n[152] These would be sure to sneer at him behind his back.\n\n[153] A compliment usually paid to an in-coming official.\n\n[154] See No. I., note 39.\n\n[155] The retinue of a Mandarin should be in accordance with his rank.\nI have given elsewhere (See No. LVI., note 315) what would be that of\nan official of the highest rank.\n\n[156] See No. LXXVII., note 76.\n\n[157] Good writing holds a much higher place in the estimation of the\nChinese than among western nations. The very nature of their\ncharacters raises calligraphy almost to the rank of an art.\n\n[158] The commentator here adds a somewhat similar case, which\nactually occurred in the reign of K\u2018ang Hsi, of a Viceroy modestly\nattended falling in with the gorgeous retinue of a Magistrate, and\nbeing somewhat rudely treated by the servants of the latter. On\narriving at his destination, the Viceroy sent for that Magistrate, and\nsternly bade him retire from office, remarking that no simple\nmagistrate could afford to keep such a retinue of attendants unless by\nillegal exactions from the suffering people committed to his charge.\n\n\n\n\nXCVIII.\n\nA CHINESE JONAH.\n\n\nA man named Sun Pi-ch\u00ean was crossing the river[159] when a great\nthunder-squall broke upon the vessel and caused her to toss about\nfearfully, to the great terror of all the passengers. Just then, an\nangel in golden armour appeared standing upon the clouds above them,\nholding in his hand a scroll inscribed with certain characters, also\nwritten in gold, which the people on the vessel easily made out to be\nthree in number, namely _Sun Pi-ch\u00ean_. So, turning at once to their\nfellow-traveller, they said to him, \u201cYou have evidently incurred the\ndispleasure of Heaven; get into a boat by yourself, and do not involve\nus in your punishment.\u201d And without giving him time to reply whether\nhe would do so or not, they hurried him over the side into a small\nboat and set him adrift; but when Sun Pi-ch\u00ean looked back, lo! the\nvessel itself had capsized.[160]\n\n\nFOOTNOTES:\n\n[159] The Yang-tsze: sometimes spoken of as the Long River.\n\n[160] The full point of this story can hardly be conveyed in\ntranslation. The man\u2019s surname was Sun, and his pr\u00e6nomen, Pi-ch\u00ean,\n(which in Chinese _follows_ the nomen) might be rendered\n\u201cMust-be-saved.\u201d However, there is another word meaning \u201cstruck,\u201d\nprecisely similar in sound and tone, though written differently, to\nthe above _ch\u00ean_; and, as far as the ear alone is concerned, our\nhero\u2019s name might have been either _Sun Must-be-saved_ or _Sun\nMust-be-struck_. That the merchants mistook the character _ch\u00ean_,\n\u201csaved,\u201d for _ch\u00ean_, \u201cstruck,\u201d is evident from the catastrophe which\novertook their vessel, while Mr. Sun\u2019s little boat rode safely through\nthe storm.\n\n\n\n\nXCIX.\n\nCHANG PU-LIANG.\n\n\nA certain trader who was travelling in the province of Chih-li, being\novertaken by a storm of rain and hail, took shelter among some\nstanding crops by the way-side. There he heard a voice from heaven,\nsaying, \u201cThese are Chang Pu-liang\u2019s fields; do not injure his crops.\u201d\nThe trader began to wonder who this Chang Pu-liang could be, and how,\nif he was _pu liang_ (not virtuous), he came to be under divine\nprotection; so when the storm was over and he had reached the\nneighbouring village, he made enquiries on the subject, and told the\npeople there what he had heard. The villagers then informed him that\nChang Pu-liang was a very wealthy farmer, who was accustomed every\nspring to make loans of grain to the poor of the district, and who was\nnot too particular about getting back the exact amount he had\nlent,--taking, in fact, whatever they brought him without discussion;\nhence the sobriquet of _pu liang_ \u201cno measure\u201d (_i.e._, the man who\ndoesn\u2019t measure the repayments of his loans).[161] After that, they\nall proceeded in a body to the fields, where it was discovered that\nvast damage had been done to the crops generally, with the exception\nof Chang Pu-liang\u2019s, which had escaped uninjured.\n\n\nFOOTNOTE:\n\n[161] Here again we have a play upon words similar to that in the last\nstory.\n\n\n\n\nC.\n\nTHE DUTCH CARPET.\n\n\nFormerly, when the Dutch[162] were permitted to trade with China, the\nofficer in command of the coast defences would not allow them, on\naccount of their great numbers, to come ashore. The Dutch begged very\nhard for the grant of a piece of land such as a carpet would cover;\nand the officer above-mentioned, thinking that this could not be very\nlarge, acceded to their request. A carpet was accordingly laid down,\nbig enough for about two people to stand on; but by dint of\nstretching, it was soon enough for four or five; and so they went on,\nstretching and stretching, until at last it covered about an acre,\nand by-and-by, with the help of their knives, they had filched a piece\nof ground several miles in extent.[163]\n\n\nFOOTNOTES:\n\n[162] We read in the _History of Amoy_:--\u201cIn the year 1622 the\nred-haired barbarians seized the Pescadores and attacked Amoy.\u201d From\nthe Pescadores they finally retired, on a promise that trade would be\npermitted, to Formosa, whence they were expelled by the famous Koxinga\nin 1662. \u201cRed-haired barbarians,\u201d a term now commonly applied to all\nforeigners, was first used in the records of the Ming dynasty to\ndesignate the Dutch.\n\n[163] Our author would here seem to have heard of the famous bull\u2019s\nhide which is mentioned in the first book of the _\u00c6neid_. In any case,\nthe substitution of \u201cstretching\u201d is no improvement on the celebrated\ndevice by which the bull\u2019s hide was made to enclose so large a space.\n\n\n\n\nCI.\n\nCARRYING A CORPSE.\n\n\nA woodsman who had been to market was returning home with his pole\nacross his shoulder,[164] when suddenly he felt it become very heavy\nat the end behind him, and looking round he saw attached to it the\nheadless trunk of a man. In great alarm, he got his pole quit of the\nburden and struck about him right and left, whereupon the body\ndisappeared. He then hurried on to the next village, and when he\narrived there in the dusk of the evening, he found several men holding\nlights to the ground as if looking for something. On asking what was\nthe matter, they told him that while sitting together a man\u2019s head had\nfallen from the sky into their midst; that they had noticed the hair\nand beard were all draggled, but in a moment the head had vanished.\nThe woodsman then related what had happened to himself; and thus one\nwhole man was accounted for, though no one could tell whence he came.\nSubsequently, another man was carrying a basket when some one saw a\nman\u2019s head in it, and called out to him; whereupon he dropped the\nbasket in a fright, and the head rolled away and disappeared.\n\n\nFOOTNOTE:\n\n[164] The common method of porterage in China is by a bamboo pole over\nthe shoulder with well-balanced burdens hanging from each end. I have\noften seen children carried thus, sitting in wicker baskets; sometimes\nfor long journeys.\n\n\n\n\nCII.\n\nA TAOIST DEVOTEE.\n\n\nCh\u00fc Yao-ju was a Ch\u2018ing-chou man, who, when his wife died, left his\nhome and became a priest.[165] Some years afterwards he returned,\ndressed in the Taoist garb, and carrying his praying-mat[166] over his\nshoulder; and after staying one night he wanted to go away again. His\nfriends, however, would not give him back his cassock and staff; so at\nlength he pretended to take a stroll outside the village, and when\nthere, his clothes and other belongings came flying out of the house\nafter him, and he got safely away.\n\n\nFOOTNOTES:\n\n[165] It would be more usual to \u201crenew the guitar string,\u201d as the\nChinese idiom runs. In the paraphrase of the first maxim of the\n_Sacred Edict_ we are told that \u201cThe closest of all ties is that of\nhusband and wife; but suppose your wife dies, why, you can marry\nanother. But if your brother were to die,\u201d &c., &c.\n\n[166] This, as well as the staff mentioned below, belongs to Buddhism.\nSee No. IV., note 46.\n\n\n\n\nCIII.\n\nJUSTICE FOR REBELS.\n\n\nDuring the reign of Shun Chih,[167] of the people of T\u2018\u00eang-i, seven in\nten were opposed to the Manchu dynasty. The officials dared not touch\nthem; and subsequently, when the country became more settled, the\nmagistrates used to distinguish them from the others by always\ndeciding any cases in their favour: for they feared lest these men\nshould revert to their old opposition. And thus it came about that one\nlitigant would begin by declaring himself to have been a \u201crebel,\u201d\nwhile his adversary would follow up by shewing such statement to be\nfalse; so that before any case could be heard on its actual merits, it\nwas necessary to determine the status both of plaintiff and defendant,\nwhereby infinite labour was entailed upon the Registrars.\n\nNow it chanced that the yam\u00ean of one of the officials was haunted by a\nfox, and the official\u2019s daughter was bewitched by it. Her father,\ntherefore, engaged the services of a magician, who succeeded in\ncapturing the animal and putting it into a bottle; but just as he was\ngoing to commit it to the flames, the fox cried out from inside the\nbottle, \u201cI\u2019m a rebel!\u201d at which the bystanders were unable to suppress\ntheir laughter.\n\n\nFOOTNOTE:\n\n[167] The first Manchu ruler of the empire of China. He came to the\nthrone in A.D. 1644.\n\n\n\n\nCIV.\n\nTHEFT OF THE PEACH.\n\n\nWhen I was a little boy I went one day to the prefectural city.[168]\nIt was the time of the Spring festival,[169] and the custom was that\non the day before, all the merchants of the place should proceed with\nbanners and drums to the judge\u2019s yam\u00ean: this was called \u201cbringing in\nthe Spring.\u201d I went with a friend to see the fun; the crowd was\nimmense, and there sat the officials in crimson robes arranged right\nand left in the hall; but I was small and didn\u2019t know who they were,\nmy attention being attracted chiefly by the hum of voices and the\nnoise of the drums. In the middle of it all, a man leading a boy with\nhis hair unplaited and hanging down his back, walked up to the dais.\nHe carried a pole on his shoulder, and appeared to be saying something\nwhich I couldn\u2019t hear for the noise; I only saw the officials smile,\nand immediately afterwards an attendant came down, and in a loud\nvoice ordered the man to give a performance. \u201cWhat shall it be?\u201d asked\nthe man in reply; whereupon, after some consultation between the\nofficials on the dais, the attendant inquired what he could do best.\nThe man said he could invert the order of nature; and then, after\nanother pause, he was instructed to produce some peaches; to this he\nassented; and taking off his coat, laid it on his box, at the same\ntime observing that they had set him a hard task, the winter frost not\nhaving broken up, and adding that he was afraid the gentlemen would be\nangry with him, &c., &c. His son here reminded him that he had agreed\nto the task and couldn\u2019t well get out of it; so, after fretting and\ngrumbling awhile, he cried out, \u201cI have it! with snow on the ground we\nshall never get peaches here; but I guess there are some up in heaven\nin the Royal Mother\u2019s garden,[170] and there we must try.\u201d \u201cHow are we\nto get up, father?\u201d asked the boy; whereupon the man said, \u201cI have the\nmeans,\u201d and immediately proceeded to take from his box a cord some\ntens of feet in length. This he carefully arranged, and then threw one\nend of it high up into the air where it remained as if caught by\nsomething. He now paid out the rope which kept going up higher and\nhigher until the end he had thrown up disappeared in the clouds and\nonly a short piece was left in his hands. Calling his son, he then\nexplained that he himself was too heavy, and, handing him the end of\nthe rope, bid him go up at once. The boy, however, made some\ndifficulty, objecting that the rope was too thin to bear his weight up\nto such a height, and that he would surely fall down and be killed;\nupon which his father said that his promise had been given and that\nrepentance was now too late, adding that if the peaches were obtained\nthey would surely be rewarded with a hundred ounces of silver, which\nshould be set aside to get the boy a pretty wife. So his son seized\nthe rope and swarmed up, like a spider running up a thread of its web;\nand in a few moments he was out of sight in the clouds. By-and-by down\nfell a peach as large as a basin, which the delighted father handed up\nto his patrons on the dais who were some time coming to a conclusion\nwhether it was real or imitation. But just then down came the rope\nwith a run, and the affrighted father shrieked out, \u201cAlas! alas! some\none has cut the rope: what will my boy do now?\u201d and in another minute\ndown fell something else, which was found on examination to be his\nson\u2019s head. \u201cAh me!\u201d said he, weeping bitterly and shewing the head;\n\u201cthe gardener has caught him, and my boy is no more.\u201d After that, his\narms, and legs, and body, all came down in like manner; and the\nfather, gathering them up, put them in the box and said, \u201cThis was my\nonly son, who accompanied me everywhere; and now what a cruel fate is\nhis. I must away and bury him.\u201d He then approached the dais and said,\n\u201cYour peach, gentlemen, was obtained at the cost of my boy\u2019s life;\nhelp me now to pay his funeral expenses, and I will be ever grateful\nto you.\u201d The officials who had been watching the scene in horror and\namazement, forthwith collected a good purse for him; and when he had\nreceived the money, he rapped on his box and said, \u201cPa-pa\u2018rh! why\ndon\u2019t you come out and thank the gentlemen?\u201d Thereupon, there was a\nthump on the box from the inside and up came the boy himself, who\njumped out and bowed to the assembled company. I have never forgotten\nthis strange trick, which I subsequently heard could be done by the\nWhite Lily sect,[171] who probably got it from this source.[172]\n\n\nFOOTNOTES:\n\n[168] It is worth noting that the author professes actually to have\nwitnessed the following extraordinary scene.\n\n[169] The vernal equinox, which would fall on or about the 20th of\nMarch.\n\n[170] A fabulous lady, said to reside at the summit of the K\u2018un-lun\nmountain, where, on the border of the Gem Lake, grows the peach-tree\nof the angels, the fruit of which confers immortality on him who eats\nit.\n\n[171] One of the most celebrated of the numerous secret societies of\nChina, the origin of which dates back to about A.D. 1350. Its members\nhave always been credited with a knowledge of the black art.\n\n[172] Of Chinese jugglers, Ibn Batuta writes as follows:--\u201cThey\nproduced a chain fifty cubits in length, and in my presence threw one\nend of it towards the sky, where it remained, as if fastened to\nsomething in the air. A dog was then brought forward, and, being\nplaced at the lower end of the chain, immediately ran up, and reaching\nthe other end immediately disappeared in the air. In the same manner a\nhog, a panther, a lion, and a tiger were alternately sent up the\nchain, and all equally disappeared at the upper end of it. At last\nthey took down the chain, and put it into a bag, no one ever\ndiscerning in what way the different animals were made to vanish into\nthe air in the mysterious manner above described. This, I may venture\nto affirm, was beyond measure strange and surprising.\u201d\n\n_Apropos_ of which passage, Mr. Maskelyne, the prince of all\nblack-artists, ancient or modern, says:--\u201cThese apparent effects were,\ndoubtless, due to the aid of concave mirrors, the use of which was\nknown to the ancients, especially in the East, but they could not have\nbeen produced in the open air.\u201d\n\n\n\n\nCV.\n\nKILLING A SERPENT.\n\n\nAt Ku-chi island in the eastern sea, there were camellias of all\ncolours which bloomed throughout the year. No one, however, lived\nthere, and very few people ever visited the spot. One day, a young man\nof T\u00eang-chou, named Chang, who was fond of hunting and adventure,\nhearing of the beauties of the place, put together some wine and food,\nand rowed himself across in a small open boat. The flowers were just\nthen even finer than usual, and their perfume was diffused for a mile\nor so around; while many of the trees he saw were several armfuls in\ncircumference. So he roamed about and gave himself up to enjoyment of\nthe scene; and by-and-by he opened a flask of wine, regretting very\nmuch that he had no companion to share it with him, when all of a\nsudden a most beautiful young girl, with extremely bright eyes and\ndressed in red, stepped down from one of the camellias before\nhim.[173] \u201cDear me!\u201d said she on seeing Mr. Chang; \u201cI expected to be\nalone here, and was not aware that the place was already occupied.\u201d\nChang was somewhat alarmed at this apparition, and asked the young\nlady whence she came; to which she replied that her name was\nChiao-ch\u2018ang, and that she had accompanied thither a Mr. Hai, who had\ngone off for a stroll and had left her to await his return. Thereupon\nChang begged her to join him in a cup of wine, which she very\nwillingly did, and they were just beginning to enjoy themselves when a\nsound of rushing wind was heard and the trees and plants bent beneath\nit. \u201cHere\u2019s Mr. Hai!\u201d cried the young lady; and jumping quickly up,\ndisappeared in a moment. The horrified Chang now beheld a huge serpent\ncoming out of the bushes near by, and immediately ran behind a large\ntree for shelter, hoping the reptile would not see him. But the\nserpent advanced and enveloped both Chang and the tree in its great\nfolds, binding Chang\u2019s arms down to his sides so as to prevent him\nfrom moving them; and then raising its head, darted out its tongue and\nbit the poor man\u2019s nose, causing the blood to flow freely out. This\nblood it was quietly sucking up, when Chang, who thought that his last\nhour had come, remembered that he had in his pocket some fox poison;\nand managing to insert a couple of fingers, he drew out the packet,\nbroke the paper, and let the powder lie in the palm of his hand. He\nnext leaned his hand over the serpent\u2019s coils in such a way that the\nblood from his nose dripped into his hand, and when it was nearly full\nthe serpent actually did begin to drink it. And in a few moments the\ngrip was relaxed; the serpent struck the ground heavily with its\ntail, and dashed away up against another tree, which was broken in\nhalf, and then stretched itself out and died. Chang was a long time\nunable to rise, but at length he got up and carried the serpent off\nwith him. He was very ill for more than a month afterwards, and even\nsuspected the young lady of being a serpent, too, in disguise.\n\n\nFOOTNOTE:\n\n[173] See No. LXXI., note 53.\n\n\n\n\nCVI.\n\nTHE RESUSCITATED CORPSE.\n\n\nA certain old man lived at Ts\u2018ai-tien, in the Yang-hsin district. The\nvillage was some miles from the district city, and he and his son kept\na roadside inn where travellers could pass the night. One day, as it\nwas getting dusk, four strangers presented themselves and asked for a\nnight\u2019s lodging; to which the landlord replied that every bed was\nalready occupied. The four men declared it was impossible for them to\ngo back, and urged him to take them in somehow; and at length the\nlandlord said he could give them a place to sleep in if they were not\ntoo particular,--which the strangers immediately assured him they were\nnot. The fact was that the old man\u2019s daughter-in-law had just died,\nand that her body was lying in the women\u2019s quarters, waiting for the\ncoffin, which his son had gone away to buy. So the landlord led them\nround thither, and walking in, placed a lamp on the table. At the\nfurther end of the room lay the corpse, decked out with paper robes,\n&c., in the usual way; and in the foremost section were\nsleeping-couches for four people. The travellers were tired, and,\nthrowing themselves on the beds, were soon snoring loudly, with the\nexception of one of them, who was not quite off when suddenly he heard\na creaking of the trestles on which the dead body was laid out, and,\nopening his eyes, he saw by the light of the lamp in front of the\ncorpse that the girl was raising the coverings from her and preparing\nto get down. In another moment she was on the floor and advancing\ntowards the sleepers. Her face was of a light yellow hue, and she had\na silk kerchief round her head; and when she reached the beds she blew\non the other three travellers, whereupon the fourth, in a great\nfright, stealthily drew up the bed-clothes over his face, and held his\nbreath to listen. He heard her breathe on him as she had done on the\nothers, and then heard her go back again and get under the paper\nrobes, which rustled distinctly as she did so. He now put out his head\nto take a peep, and saw that she was lying down as before; whereupon,\nnot daring to make any noise, he stretched forth his foot and kicked\nhis companions, who, however, shewed no signs of moving. He now\ndetermined to put on his clothes and make a bolt for it; but he had\nhardly begun to do so before he heard the creaking sound again, which\nsent him back under the bed-clothes as fast as he could go. Again the\ngirl came to him, and breathing several times on him, went away to lie\ndown as before, as he could tell by the noise of the trestles. He then\nput his hand very gently out of bed, and, seizing his trousers, got\nquickly into them, jumped up with a bound, and rushed out of the place\nas fast as his legs would carry him. The corpse, too, jumped up; but\nby this time the traveller had already drawn the bolt, and was outside\nthe door, running along and shrieking at the top of his voice, with\nthe corpse following close behind. No one seemed to hear him, and he\nwas afraid to knock at the door of the inn for fear they should not\nlet him in in time; so he made for the highway to the city, and after\nawhile he saw a monastery by the roadside, and, hearing the \u201cwooden\nfish,\u201d[174] he ran up and thumped with all his might at the gate. The\npriest, however, did not know what to make of it, and would not open\nto him; and as the corpse was only a few yards off, he could do\nnothing but run behind a tree which stood close by, and there shelter\nhimself, dodging to the right as the corpse dodged to the left, and so\non. This infuriated the dead girl to madness; and at length, as tired\nand panting they stood watching each other on opposite sides of the\ntree, the corpse made a rush forward with one arm on each side in the\nhope of thus grabbing its victim. The traveller, however, fell\nbackwards and escaped, while the corpse remained rigidly embracing the\ntree. By-and-by the priest, who had been listening from the inside,\nhearing no sounds for some time, came out and found the traveller\nlying senseless on the ground; whereupon he had him carried into the\nmonastery, and by morning they had got him round again. After giving\nhim a little broth to drink, he related the whole story; and then in\nthe early dawn they went out to examine the tree, where they found the\ngirl fixed tightly to the tree. The news being sent to the magistrate,\nthat functionary attended at once in person,[175] and gave orders to\nremove the body; but this they were at first unable to do, the girl\u2019s\nfingers having penetrated into the bark so far that her nails were not\nto be seen. At length they got her away, and then a messenger was\ndespatched to the inn, already in a state of great commotion over the\nthree travellers, who had been found dead in their beds. The old man\naccordingly sent to fetch his daughter-in-law; and the surviving\ntraveller petitioned the magistrate, saying, \u201cFour of us left home,\nbut only one will go back. Give me something that I may show to my\nfellow-townsmen.\u201d So the magistrate gave him a certificate and sent\nhim home again.[176]\n\n\nFOOTNOTES:\n\n[174] This instrument, used by Buddhist priests in the musical\naccompaniment to their liturgies, is said to be so called because a\nfish never closes its eyes, and is therefore a fit model of vigilance\nto him who would walk in the paths of holiness and virtue.\n\n[175] The duties of Coroner belong to the office of a District\nMagistrate in China.\n\n[176] Without such certificate he would be liable to be involved in\ntrouble and annoyance at the will of any unfriendly neighbour.\n\n\n\n\nCVII.\n\nTHE FISHERMAN AND HIS FRIEND.\n\n\nIn the northern parts of Tz\u016d-chou there lived a man named Hs\u00fc, a\nfisherman by trade. Every night when he went to fish he would carry\nsome wine with him, and drink and fish by turns, always taking care to\npour out a libation on the ground, accompanied by the following\ninvocation:--\u201cDrink too, ye drowned spirits of the river!\u201d Such was his\nregular custom; and it was also noticeable that, even on occasions\nwhen the other fishermen caught nothing, he always got a full basket.\nOne night, as he was sitting drinking by himself, a young man suddenly\nappeared and began walking up and down near him. Hs\u00fc offered him a cup\nof wine, which was readily accepted, and they remained chatting\ntogether throughout the night, Hs\u00fc meanwhile not catching a single\nfish. However, just as he was giving up all hope of doing anything,\nthe young man rose and said he would go a little way down the stream\nand beat them up towards Hs\u00fc, which he accordingly did, returning in a\nfew minutes and warning him to be on the look-out. Hs\u00fc now heard a\nnoise like that of a shoal coming up the stream, and, casting his net,\nmade a splendid haul,--all that he caught being over a foot in length.\nGreatly delighted, he now prepared to go home, first offering his\ncompanion a share of the fish, which the latter declined, saying that\nhe had often received kindnesses from Mr. Hs\u00fc, and that he would be\nonly too happy to help him regularly in the same manner if Mr. Hs\u00fc\nwould accept his assistance. The latter replied that he did not\nrecollect ever meeting him before, and that he should be much obliged\nfor any aid the young man might choose to afford him; regretting, at\nthe same time, his inability to make him any adequate return. He then\nasked the young man his name and surname; and the young man said his\nsurname was Wang, adding that Hs\u00fc might address him when they met as\nWang Liu-lang, he having no other name. Thereupon they parted, and the\nnext day Hs\u00fc sold his fish and bought some more wine, with which he\nrepaired as usual to the river bank. There he found his companion\nalready awaiting him, and they spent the night together in precisely\nthe same way as the preceding one, the young man beating up the fish\nfor him as before. This went on for some months, until at length one\nevening the young man, with many expressions of his thanks and his\nregrets, told Hs\u00fc that they were about to part for ever. Much alarmed\nby the melancholy tone in which his friend had communicated this news,\nHs\u00fc was on the point of asking for an explanation, when the young man\nstopped him, and himself proceeded as follows:--\u201cThe friendship that\nhas grown up between us is truly surprising; and, now that we shall\nmeet no more, there is no harm in telling you the whole truth. I am a\ndisembodied spirit--the soul of one who was drowned in this river\nwhen tipsy. I have been here many years, and your former success in\nfishing was due to the fact that I used secretly to beat up the fish\ntowards you, in return for the libations you were accustomed to pour\nout. To-morrow my time is up: my substitute will arrive, and I shall\nbe born again in the world of mortals.[177] We have but this one\nevening left, and I therefore take advantage of it to express my\nfeelings to you.\u201d On hearing these words, Hs\u00fc was at first very much\nalarmed; however, he had grown so accustomed to his friend\u2019s society,\nthat his fears soon passed away; and, filling up a goblet, he said,\nwith a sigh, \u201cLiu-lang, old fellow, drink this up, and away with\nmelancholy. It\u2019s hard to lose you; but I\u2019m glad enough for your sake,\nand won\u2019t think of my own sorrow.\u201d He then inquired of Liu-lang who\nwas to be his substitute; to which the latter replied, \u201cCome to the\nriver-bank to-morrow afternoon and you\u2019ll see a woman drowned: she is\nthe one.\u201d Just then the village cocks began to crow, and, with tears\nin their eyes, the two friends bade each other farewell.\n\nNext day Hs\u00fc waited on the river bank to see if anything would happen,\nand lo! a woman carrying a child in her arms came along. When close to\nthe edge of the river, she stumbled and fell into the water, managing,\nhowever, to throw the child safely on to the bank, where it lay\nkicking and sprawling and crying at the top of its voice. The woman\nherself sank and rose several times, until at last she succeeded in\nclutching hold of the bank and pulled herself, dripping, out; and\nthen, after resting awhile, she picked up the child and went on her\nway. All this time Hs\u00fc had been in a great state of excitement, and\nwas on the point of running to help the woman out of the water; but he\nremembered that she was to be the substitute of his friend, and\naccordingly restrained himself from doing so.[178] Then when he saw\nthe woman get out by herself, he began to suspect that Liu-lang\u2019s\nwords had not been fulfilled. That night he went to fish as usual,\nand before long the young man arrived and said, \u201cWe meet once again:\nthere is no need now to speak of separation.\u201d Hs\u00fc asked him how it was\nso; to which he replied, \u201cThe woman you saw had already taken my\nplace, but I could not bear to hear the child cry, and I saw that my\none life would be purchased at the expense of their two lives,\nwherefore I let her go, and now I cannot say when I shall have another\nchance.[179] The union of our destinies may not yet be worked out.\u201d\n\u201cAlas!\u201d sighed Hs\u00fc, \u201cthis noble conduct of yours is enough to move God\nAlmighty.\u201d\n\nAfter this the two friends went on much as they had done before, until\none day Liu-lang again said he had come to bid Hs\u00fc farewell. Hs\u00fc\nthought he had found another substitute, but Liu-lang told him that\nhis former behaviour had so pleased Almighty Heaven, that he had been\nappointed guardian angel of Wu-ch\u00ean, in the Chao-y\u00fcan district, and\nthat on the following morning he would start for his new post. \u201cAnd if\nyou do not forget the days of our friendship,\u201d added he, \u201cI pray you\ncome and see me, in spite of the long journey.\u201d \u201cTruly,\u201d replied Hs\u00fc,\n\u201cyou well deserved to be made a God; but the paths of Gods and men\nlie in different directions, and even if the distance were nothing,\nhow should I manage to meet you again?\u201d \u201cDon\u2019t be afraid on that\nscore,\u201d said Liu-lang, \u201cbut come;\u201d and then he went away, and Hs\u00fc\nreturned home. The latter immediately began to prepare for the\njourney, which caused his wife to laugh at him and say, \u201cSupposing you\ndo find such a place at the end of that long journey, you won\u2019t be\nable to hold a conversation with a clay image.\u201d Hs\u00fc, however, paid no\nattention to her remarks, and travelled straight to Chao-y\u00fcan, where\nhe learned from the inhabitants that there really was a village called\nWu-ch\u00ean, whither he forthwith proceeded and took up his abode at an\ninn. He then inquired of the landlord where the village temple was; to\nwhich the latter replied by asking him somewhat hurriedly if he was\nspeaking to Mr. Hs\u00fc. Hs\u00fc informed him that his name was Hs\u00fc, asking in\nreply how he came to know it; whereupon the landlord further inquired\nif his native place was not Tz\u016d-chou. Hs\u00fc told him it was, and again\nasked him how he knew all this; to which the landlord made no answer,\nbut rushed out of the room; and in a few moments the place was crowded\nwith old and young, men, women, and children, all come to visit Hs\u00fc.\nThey then told him that a few nights before they had seen their\nguardian deity in a vision, and he had informed them that Mr. Hs\u00fc\nwould shortly arrive, and had bidden them to provide him with\ntravelling expenses, &c. Hs\u00fc was very much astonished at this, and\nwent off at once to the shrine, where he invoked his friend as\nfollows:--\u201cEver since we parted I have had you daily and nightly in\nmy thoughts; and now that I have fulfilled my promise of coming to see\nyou, I have to thank you for the orders you have issued to the people\nof the place. As for me, I have nothing to offer you but a cup of\nwine, which I pray you accept as though we were drinking together on\nthe river-bank.\u201d He then burnt a quantity of paper money,[180] when\nlo! a wind suddenly arose, which, after whirling round and round\nbehind the shrine, soon dropped, and all was still. That night Hs\u00fc\ndreamed that his friend came to him, dressed in his official cap and\nrobes, and very different in appearance from what he used to be, and\nthanked him, saying, \u201cIt is truly kind of you to visit me thus: I only\nregret that my position makes me unable to meet you face to face, and\nthat though near we are still so far. The people here will give you a\ntrifle, which pray accept for my sake; and when you go away, I will\nsee you a short way on your journey.\u201d A few days afterwards Hs\u00fc\nprepared to start, in spite of the numerous invitations to stay which\npoured in upon him from all sides; and then the inhabitants loaded him\nwith presents of all kinds, and escorted him out of the village. There\na whirlwind arose and accompanied him several miles, when he turned\nround and invoked his friend thus:--\u201cLiu-lang, take care of your valued\nperson. Do not trouble yourself to come any farther.[181] Your noble\nheart will ensure happiness to this district, and there is no occasion\nfor me to give a word of advice to my old friend.\u201d By-and-by the\nwhirlwind ceased, and the villagers, who were much astonished,\nreturned to their own homes. Hs\u00fc, too, travelled homewards, and being\nnow a man of some means, ceased to work any more as a fisherman. And\nwhenever he met a Chao-y\u00fcan man he would ask him about that guardian\nangel, being always informed in reply that he was a most beneficent\nGod. Some say the place was Shih-k\u2018\u00eang-chuang, in Chang-ch\u2018in: I can\u2019t\nsay which it was myself.\n\n\nFOOTNOTES:\n\n[177] See No. XLV., note 267.\n\n[178] We have in this story the keynote to the notorious and\nmuch-to-be-deprecated dislike of the Chinese people to assist in\nsaving the lives of drowning strangers. Some of our readers may,\nperhaps, not be aware that the Government of Hong-Kong has found it\nnecessary to insert a clause on the junk-clearances issued in that\ncolony, by which the junkmen are bound to assist to the utmost in\nsaving life. The apparent apathy of the Chinese in this respect comes\nbefore us, however, in quite a different light when coupled with the\nsuperstition that disembodied spirits of persons who have met a\nviolent death may return to the world of mortals if only fortunate\nenough to secure a substitute. For among the crowd of shades, anxious\nall to revisit their \u201csweet sons,\u201d may perchance be some dear relative\nor friend of the man who stands calmly by while another is drowning;\nand it may be that to assist the drowning stranger would be to take\nthe longed-for chance away from one\u2019s own kith or kin. Therefore, the\nsuperstition-ridden Chinaman turns away, often perhaps, as in the\nstory before us, with feelings of pity and remorse. And yet this\nbelief has not prevented the establishment, especially on the river\nYang-tsze, of institutions provided with life-boats, for the express\npurpose of saving life in those dangerous waters; so true is it that\nwhen the Chinese people wish to move _en masse_ in any given\ndirection, the fragile barrier of superstition is trampled down and\nscattered to the winds.\n\n[179] As there are good and bad foxes, so may devils be beneficent or\nmalicious according to circumstances; and Chinese apologists for the\ndiscourtesy of the term \u201cforeign devils,\u201d as applied to Europeans and\nAmericans alike, have gone so far as to declare that in this\nparticular instance the allusion is to the more virtuous among the\ndenizens of the Infernal Regions.\n\n[180] See No. XCVII., note 150.\n\n[181] A phrase constantly repeated, in other terms, by a guest to a\nhost who is politely escorting him to the door.\n\n\n\n\nCVIII.\n\nTHE PRIEST\u2019S WARNING.\n\n\nA man named Chang died suddenly, and was escorted at once by\ndevil-lictors[182] into the presence of the King of Purgatory. His\nMajesty turned to Chang\u2019s record of good and evil, and then, in great\nanger, told the lictors they had brought the wrong man, and bade them\ntake him back again. As they left the judgment-hall, Chang persuaded\nhis escort to let him have a look at Purgatory; and, accordingly, the\ndevils conducted him through the nine sections,[183] pointing out to\nhim the Knife Hill,[184] the Sword Tree, and other objects of\ninterest. By-and-by, they reached a place where there was a Buddhist\npriest, hanging suspended in the air head downwards, by a rope through\na hole in his leg. He was shrieking with pain, and longing for death;\nand when Chang approached, lo! he saw that it was his own brother. In\ngreat distress, he asked his guides the reason of this punishment; and\nthey informed him that the priest was suffering thus for collecting\nsubscriptions on behalf of his order, and then privately squandering\nthe proceeds in gambling and debauchery.[185] \u201cNor,\u201d added they, \u201cwill\nhe escape this torment unless he repents him of his misdeeds.\u201d When\nChang came round,[186] he thought his brother was already dead, and\nhurried off to the Hsing-fu monastery, to which the latter belonged.\nAs he went in at the door, he heard a loud shrieking; and, on\nproceeding to his brother\u2019s room, he found him laid up with a very bad\nabscess in his leg, the leg itself being tied up above him to the\nwall, this being, as his brother informed him, the only bearable\nposition in which he could lie. Chang now told him what he had seen in\nPurgatory, at which the priest was so terrified, that he at once gave\nup taking wine and meat,[187] and devoted himself entirely to\nreligious exercises. In a fortnight he was well, and was known ever\nafterwards as a most exemplary priest.\n\n\nFOOTNOTES:\n\n[182] The spiritual lictors who are supposed to arrest the souls of\ndying persons, are also believed to be armed with warrants signed and\nsealed in due form as in the world above.\n\n[183] Literally, the \u201cnine dark places,\u201d which will remind readers of\nDante of the nine \u201cbolgie\u201d of the _Inferno_.\n\n[184] This is a cliff over which sinners are hurled, to alight upon\nthe upright points of knives below. The branches of the Sword Tree are\nsharp blades which cut and hack all who pass within reach.\n\n[185] A crime by no means unknown to the clergy of China.\n\n[186] That is, when the lictors had returned his soul to its tenement.\n\n[187] See No. VI., note 52.\n\n\n\n\nCIX.\n\nMETEMPSYCHOSIS.\n\n\nMr. Lin, who took his master\u2019s degree in the same year as the late Mr.\nW\u00ean Pi,[188] could remember what had happened to him in his previous\nstate of existence, and once told the whole story, as follows:--I was\noriginally of a good family, but, after leading a very dissolute life,\nI died at the age of sixty-two. On being conducted into the presence\nof the King of Purgatory, he received me civilly, bade me be seated,\nand offered me a cup of tea. I noticed, however, that the tea in His\nMajesty\u2019s cup was clear and limpid, while that in my own was muddy,\nlike the lees of wine. It then flashed across me that this was the\npotion which was given to all disembodied spirits to render them\noblivious of the past:[189] and, accordingly, when the King was looking\nthe other way, I seized the opportunity of pouring it under the table,\npretending afterwards that I had drunk it all up. My record of good\nand evil was now presented for inspection, and when the King saw what\nit was, he flew into a great passion, and ordered the attendant devils\nto drag me away, and send me back to earth as a horse. I was\nimmediately seized and bound, and the devils carried me off to a\nhouse, the door-sill of which was so high I could not step over it.\nWhile I was trying to do so, the devils behind lashed me with all\ntheir might, causing me such pain that I made a great spring, and--lo\nand behold! I was a horse in a stable. \u201cThe mare has got a nice colt,\u201d\nI then heard a man call out; but, although I was perfectly aware of\nall that was passing, I could say nothing myself. Hunger now came upon\nme, and I was glad to be suckled by the mare; and by the end of four\nor five years I had grown into a fine strong horse, dreadfully afraid\nof the whip, and running away at the very sight of it. When my master\nrode me, it was always with a saddle-cloth, and at a leisurely pace,\nwhich was bearable enough; but when the servants mounted me\nbarebacked, and dug their heels into me, the pain struck into my\nvitals; and at length I refused all food, and in three days I died.\nReappearing before the King of Purgatory, His Majesty was enraged to\nfind that I had thus tried to shirk working out my time; and, flaying\nme forthwith, condemned me to go back again as a dog. And when I did\nnot move, the devils came behind me and lashed me until I ran away\nfrom them into the open country, where, thinking I had better die\nright off, I jumped over a cliff, and lay at the bottom unable to\nmove. I then saw that I was among a litter of puppies, and that an old\nbitch was licking and suckling me by turns; whereby I knew that I was\nonce more among mortals. In this hateful form I continued for some\ntime, longing to kill myself, and yet fearing to incur the penalty of\nshirking. At length, I purposely bit my master in the leg, and tore\nhim badly; whereupon he had me destroyed, and I was taken again into\nthe presence of the King, who was so displeased with my vicious\nbehaviour that he condemned me to become a snake, and shut me up in a\ndark room, where I could see nothing. After a while I managed to climb\nup the wall, bore a hole in the roof, and escape; and immediately I\nfound myself lying in the grass, a veritable snake. Then I registered\na vow that I would harm no living thing, and I lived for some years,\nfeeding upon berries and such like, ever remembering neither to take\nmy own life, nor by injuring any one to incite them to take it, but\nlonging all the while for the happy release, which did not come to me.\nOne day, as I was sleeping in the grass, I heard the noise of a\npassing cart, and, on trying to get across the road out of its way, I\nwas caught by the wheel, and cut in two. The King was astonished to\nsee me back so soon, but I humbly told my story, and, in pity for the\ninnocent creature that loses its life, he pardoned me, and permitted\nme to be born again at my appointed time as a human being.\n\nSuch was Mr. Lin\u2019s story. He could speak as soon as he came into the\nworld; and could repeat anything he had once read. In the year 1621 he\ntook his master\u2019s degree, and was never tired of telling people to put\nsaddle-cloths on their horses, and recollect that the pain of being\ngripped by the knees is even worse than the lash itself.\n\n\nFOOTNOTES:\n\n[188] In A.D. 1621.\n\n[189] According to the _Y\u00fc-li-ch\u2018ao_, this potion is administered by\nan old beldame, named Mother M\u00eang, who sits upon the Terrace of\nOblivion. \u201cWhether they swallow much or little it matters not; but\nsometimes there are perverse devils who altogether refuse to drink.\nThen beneath their feet sharp blades start up, and a copper tube is\nforced down their throats, by which means they are compelled to\nswallow some.\u201d\n\n\n\n\nCX.\n\nTHE FORTY STRINGS OF CASH.\n\n\nMr. Justice Wang had a steward, who was possessed of considerable\nmeans. One night the latter dreamt that a man rushed in and said to\nhim, \u201cTo-day you must repay me those forty strings of cash.\u201d The\nsteward asked who he was; to which the man made no answer, but hurried\npast him into the women\u2019s apartments. When the steward awoke, he found\nthat his wife had been delivered of a son; and, knowing at once that\nretribution was at hand, he set aside forty strings of cash to be\nspent solely in food, clothes, medicines, and so on, for the baby. By\nthe time the child was between three and four years old, the steward\nfound that of the forty strings only about seven hundred cash\nremained; and when the wet-nurse, who happened to be standing by,\nbrought the child and dandled it in her arms before him, he looked at\nit and said, \u201cThe forty strings are all but repaid; it is time you\nwere off again.\u201d Thereupon the child changed colour; its head fell\nback, and its eyes stared fixedly, and, when they tried to revive it,\nlo! respiration had already ceased. The father then took the balance\nof the forty strings, and with it defrayed the child\u2019s funeral\nexpenses--truly a warning to people to be sure and pay their debts.\n\nFormerly, an old childless man consulted a great many Buddhist priests\non the subject. One of them said to him, \u201cIf you owe no one anything,\nand no one owes you anything, how can you expect to have children? A\ngood son is the repayment of a former debt; a bad son is a dunning\ncreditor, at whose birth there is no rejoicing, at whose death no\nlamentations.\u201d[190]\n\n\nFOOTNOTE:\n\n[190] And such is actually the prevalent belief in China to this day.\n\n\n\n\nCXI.\n\nSAVING LIFE.\n\n\nA certain gentleman of Sh\u00ean-yu, who had taken the highest degree,\ncould remember himself in a previous state of existence. He said he\nhad formerly been a scholar, and had died in middle life; and that\nwhen he appeared before the Judge of Purgatory, there stood the\ncauldrons, the boiling oil, and other apparatus of torture, exactly as\nwe read about them on earth. In the eastern corner of the hall were a\nnumber of frames from which hung the skins of sheep, dogs, oxen,\nhorses, etc.; and when anybody was condemned to re-appear in life\nunder any one of these forms, his skin was stripped off and a skin was\ntaken from the proper frame and fixed on to his body. The gentleman of\nwhom I am writing heard himself sentenced to become a sheep; and the\nattendant devils had already clothed him in a sheep\u2019s-skin in the\nmanner above described, when the clerk of the record informed the\nJudge that the criminal before him had once saved another man\u2019s life.\nThe Judge consulted his books, and forthwith cried out, \u201cI pardon him;\nfor although his sins have been many, this one act has redeemed them\nall.\u201d[191] The devils then tried to take off the sheep\u2019s-skin, but it\nwas so tightly stuck on him that they couldn\u2019t move it. However, after\ngreat efforts, and causing the gentleman most excruciating agony, they\nmanaged to tear it off bit by bit, though not quite so cleanly as one\nmight have wished. In fact, a piece as big as the palm of a man\u2019s hand\nwas left near his shoulder; and when he was born again into the world,\nthere was a great patch of hair on his back, which grew again as fast\nas it was cut off.\n\n\nFOOTNOTE:\n\n[191] Note 178 to No. CVII. should be read here. To save life is\nindeed the bounden duty of every good Buddhist, for which he will be\nproportionately rewarded in the world to come.\n\n\n\n\nCXII.\n\nTHE SALT SMUGGLER.\n\n\nWang Shih, of Kao-wan, a petty salt huckster, was inordinately fond of\ngambling. One night he was arrested by two men, whom he took for\nlictors of the Salt Gabelle; and, flinging down what salt he had with\nhim, he tried to make his escape.[192] He found, however, that his\nlegs would not move with him, and he was forthwith seized and bound.\n\u201cWe are not sent by the Salt Commissioner,\u201d cried his captors, in\nreply to an entreaty to set him free; \u201cwe are the devil-constables of\nPurgatory.\u201d Wang was horribly frightened at this, and begged the\ndevils to let him bid farewell to his wife and children; but this they\nrefused to do, saying, \u201cYou aren\u2019t going to die; you are only wanted\nfor a little job there is down below.\u201d Wang asked what the job was; to\nwhich the devils replied, \u201cA new Judge has come into office, and,\nfinding the river[193] and the eighteen hells choked up with the\nbodies of sinners, he has determined to employ three classes of\nmortals to clean them out. These are thieves, unlicensed\nfounders,[194] and unlicensed dealers in salt, and, for the dirtiest\nwork of all, he is going to take musicians.\u201d[195]\n\nWang accompanied the devils until at length they reached a city, where\nhe was brought before the Judge, who was sitting in his Judgment-hall.\nOn turning up his record in the books, one of the devils explained\nthat the prisoner had been arrested for unlicensed trading; whereupon\nthe Judge became very angry, and said, \u201cThose who drive an illicit\ntrade in salt, not only defraud the State of its proper revenue, but\nalso prey upon the livelihood of the people. Those, however, whom the\ngreedy officials and corrupt traders of to-day denounce as unlicensed\ntraders, are among the most virtuous of mankind--needy unfortunates\nwho struggle to save a few cash in the purchase of their pint of\nsalt.[196] Are they your unlicensed traders?\u201d The Judge then bade the\nlictors buy four pecks of salt, and send it to Wang\u2019s house for him,\ntogether with that which had been found upon him; and, at the same\ntime, he gave Wang an iron scourge, and told him to superintend the\nworks at the river. So Wang followed the devils, and found the river\nswarming with people like ants in an ant-hill. The water was turbid\nand red, the stench from it being almost unbearable, while those who\nwere employed in cleaning it out were working there naked. Sometimes\nthey would sink down in the horrid mass of decaying bodies: sometimes\nthey would get lazy, and then the iron scourge was applied to their\nbacks. The assistant-superintendents had small scented balls, which\nthey held in their mouths. Wang himself approached the bank, and saw\nthe licensed salt-merchant of Kao-wan[197] in the midst of it all, and\nthrashed him well with his scourge, until he was afraid he would never\ncome up again. This went on for three days and three nights, by which\ntime half the workmen were dead, and the work completed; whereupon the\nsame two devils escorted him home again, and then he waked up.\n\nAs a matter of fact, Wang had gone out to sell some salt, and had not\ncome back. Next morning, when his wife opened the house door, she\nfound two bags of salt in the court-yard; and, as her husband did not\nreturn, she sent off some people to search for him, and they\ndiscovered him lying senseless by the wayside. He was immediately\nconveyed home, where, after a little time, he recovered consciousness,\nand related what had taken place. Strange to say, the licensed\nsalt-merchant had fallen down in a fit on the previous evening, and\nhad only just recovered; and Wang, hearing that his body was covered\nwith sores--the result of the beating with the iron scourge--went off\nto his house to see him; however, directly the wretched man set eyes\non Wang, he hastily covered himself up with the bed-clothes,\nforgetting that they were no longer at the infernal river. He did not\nrecover from his injuries for a year, after which he retired from\ntrade.[198]\n\n\nFOOTNOTES:\n\n[192] Salt is a Government monopoly in China, and its sale is only\npermitted to licensed dealers. It is a contraband article of commerce,\nwhether for import or export, to foreign nations trading with China.\nIn an account of a journey from Swatow to Canton in March-April, 1877,\nI wrote:--\u201c_Apropos_ of salt, we came across a good-sized bunker of it\nwhen stowing away our things in the space below the deck. The boatmen\ncould not resist the temptation of doing a little smuggling on the way\nup.... At a secluded point in a bamboo-shaded bend of the river, they\nran the boat alongside the bank, and were instantly met by a number of\nsuspicious-looking gentlemen with baskets, who soon relieved them of\nthe smuggled salt and separated in different directions.\u201d Thus do the\npeople of China seek to lighten the grievous pressure of this tax. A\ncurious custom exists in Canton. Certain blind old men and women are\nallowed to hawk salt about the streets, and earn a scanty living from\nthe profits they are able to make.\n\nIt may interest some to know that in the cities of the north of China\n_ice_ and _coal_ may only be retailed by licensed dealers, who retain\nsuch authority on the condition of supplying the yam\u00eans of the local\nmandarins with these two necessaries, free of all charge.\n\n[193] The Styx.\n\n[194] These words require some explanation. Ordinarily they would be\ntaken in the sense of casting _cash_ of a base description; but they\nmight equally well signify the casting of iron articles of any kind,\nand thereby hang some curious details. Iron foundries in China may\nonly be opened under license from the local officials, and the\narticles there made, consisting chiefly of cooking utensils, may only\nbe sold within a given area, each district having its own particular\nfoundries from which alone the supplies of the neighbourhood may be\nderived. Free trade in iron is much feared by the authorities, as\nthereby pirates and rebels would be enabled to supply themselves with\narms. At the framing of the Treaty of Tientsin, with its accompanying\ntariff and rules, iron was not specified among other prohibited\narticles of commerce. Consequently, British merchants would appear to\nhave a full right to purchase iron in the interior and convey it to\nany of the open ports under Transit-pass. But the Chinese officials\nsteadily refuse to acknowledge, or permit the exercise of, this right,\nputting forward their own time-honoured custom with regard to iron,\nand enumerating the disadvantages to China were such an innovation to\nbe brought about.\n\n[195] The allusion is to women, of a not very respectable class.\n\n[196] No Chinese magistrate would be found to pass sentence upon a man\nwho stole food under stress of hunger.\n\n[197] His own village.\n\n[198] The whole story is meant as a satire upon the iniquity of the\nSalt Gabelle.\n\n\n\n\nCXIII.\n\nCOLLECTING SUBSCRIPTIONS.\n\n\nThe Frog-God frequently employs a magician to deliver its oracles to\nthose who have faith. Should the magician declare that the God is\npleased, happiness is sure to follow; but if he says the God is angry,\nwomen and children[199] sit sorrowfully about, and neglect even their\nmeals. Such is the customary belief, and it is probably not altogether\ndevoid of foundation.\n\nThere was a certain wealthy merchant, named Chou, who was a very\nstingy man. Once, when some repairs were necessary to the temple of\nthe God of War,[200] and rich and poor were subscribing as much as\neach could afford, he alone gave nothing.[201] By-and-by the works\nwere stopped for want of funds, and the committee of management were\nat a loss what to do next. It happened that just then there was a\nfestival in honour of the Frog-God, at which the magician suddenly\ncried out, \u201cGeneral Chou[202] has given orders for a further\nsubscription. Bring forth the books.\u201d The people all shouting assent\nto this, the magician went on to say, \u201cThose who have already\nsubscribed will not be compelled to do so again; those who have not\nsubscribed must give according to their means.\u201d Thereupon various\npersons began to put down their names, and when this was finished,\nthe magician examined the books. He then asked if Mr. Chou was\npresent; and the latter, who was skulking behind, in dread lest he\nshould be detected by the God, had no alternative but to come to the\nfront. \u201cPut yourself down for one hundred taels,\u201d said the magician to\nhim; and when Chou hesitated, he cried out to him in anger, \u201cYou could\ngive two hundred for your own bad purposes: how much more should you\ndo so in a good cause?\u201d alluding to a scandalous intrigue of Chou\u2019s,\nthe consequences of which he had averted by payment of the sum\nmentioned. This put our friend to the blush, and he was obliged to\nenter his name for one hundred taels, at which his wife was very\nangry, and said the magician was a rogue, and whenever he came to\ncollect the money he was put off with some excuse.\n\nShortly afterwards, Chou was one day going to sleep, when he heard a\nnoise outside his house, like the blowing of an ox, and beheld a huge\nfrog walking leisurely through the front door, which was just big\nenough to let it pass. Once inside, the creature laid itself down to\nsleep, with its head on the threshold, to the great horror of all the\ninmates; upon which Chou observed that it had probably come to collect\nhis subscription, and burning some incense, he vowed that he would pay\ndown thirty taels on the spot, and send the balance later on. The\nfrog, however, did not move, so Chou promised fifty, and then there\nwas a slight decrease in the frog\u2019s size. Another twenty brought it\ndown to the size of a peck measure; and when Chou said the full\namount should be paid on the spot, the frog became suddenly no larger\nthan one\u2019s fist, and disappeared through a hole in the wall. Chou\nimmediately sent off fifty taels, at which all the other subscribers\nwere much astonished, not knowing what had taken place. A few days\nafterwards the magician said Chou still owed fifty taels, and that he\nhad better send it in soon; so Chou forwarded ten more, hoping now to\nhave done with the matter. However, as he and his wife were one day\nsitting down to dinner, the frog reappeared, and glaring with anger,\ntook up a position on the bed, which creaked under it, as though\nunable to bear the weight. Putting its head on the pillow, the frog\nwent off to sleep, its body gradually swelling up until it was as big\nas a buffalo, and nearly filled the room, causing Chou to send off the\nbalance of his subscription without a moment\u2019s delay. There was now no\ndiminution in the size of the frog\u2019s body; and by-and-by crowds of\nsmall frogs came hopping in, boring through the walls, jumping on the\nbed, catching flies on the cooking-stove, and dying in the saucepans,\nuntil the place was quite unbearable. Three days passed thus, and then\nChou sought out the magician, and asked him what was to be done. The\nlatter said he could manage it, and began by vowing on behalf of Chou\ntwenty more taels\u2019 subscription. At this the frog raised its head, and\na further increase caused it to move one foot; and by the time a\nhundred taels was reached, the frog was walking out of the door. At\nthe door, however, it stopped, and lay down once more, which the\nmagician explained by saying, that immediate payment was required; so\nChou handed over the amount at once, and the frog, shrinking down to\nits usual size, mingled with its companions, and departed with them.\n\nThe repairs to the temple were accordingly completed, but for\n\u201clighting the eyes,\u201d[203] and the attendant festivities, some further\nsubscriptions were wanted. Suddenly, the magician, pointing at the\nmanagers, cried out, \u201cThere is money short; of fifteen men, two of you\nare defaulters.\u201d At this, all declared they had given what they could\nafford; but the magician went on to say, \u201cIt is not a question of what\nyou can afford; you have misappropriated the funds[204] that should\nnot have been touched, and misfortune would come upon you, but that,\nin return for your exertions, I shall endeavour to avert it from you.\nThe magician himself is not without taint.[205] Let him set you a good\nexample.\u201d Thereupon, the magician rushed into his house, and brought\nout all the money he had, saying, \u201cI stole eight taels myself, which I\nwill now refund.\u201d He then weighed what silver he had, and finding that\nit only amounted to a little over six taels, he made one of the\nbystanders take a note of the difference. Then the others came forward\nand paid up, each what he had misappropriated from the public fund.\nAll this time the magician had been in a divine ecstasy, not knowing\nwhat he was saying; and when he came round, and was told what had\nhappened, his shame knew no bounds, so he pawned some of his clothes,\nand paid in the balance of his own debt. As to the two defaulters who\ndid not pay, one of them was ill for a month and more; while the other\nhad a bad attack of boils.\n\n\nFOOTNOTES:\n\n[199] The chief supporters of superstition in China.\n\n[200] See No. I., note 39.\n\n[201] Such is one of the most common causes of hostile demonstration\nagainst Chinese Christians. The latter, acting under the orders of the\nmissionaries, frequently refuse to subscribe to the various local\ncelebrations and processions, the great annual festivities, and\nceremonies of all kinds, on the grounds that these are idolatrous and\nforbidden by the Christian faith. Hence bad feeling, high words, blows,\nand sometimes bloodshed. I say \u201cfrequently,\u201d because I have discovered\nseveral cases in which converts have quietly subscribed like other\npeople rather than risk an _\u00e9meute_.\n\nAn amusing incident came under my own special notice not very long\nago. A missionary appeared before me one day to complain that a\ncertain convert of his had been posted in his own village, and cut off\nfrom his civic rights for two years, merely because he had agreed to\nlet a room of his house to be used as a missionary _d\u00e9p\u00f4t_. I took a\ncopy of the placard which was handed to me in proof of this statement,\nand found it to run thus:--\u201cIn consequence of ---- having entered into\nan agreement with a barbarian pastor, to lease to the said barbarian\npastor a room in his house to be used as a missionary chapel, we, the\nelders of this village, do hereby debar ---- from the privilege of\nworshipping in our ancestral hall for the space of two years.\u201d It is\nneedless, of course, to mention that Ancestral Worship is prohibited\nby all sects of missionaries in China alike; or that, when I pointed\nthis out to the individual in question, who could not have understood\nthe import of the Chinese placard, the charge was promptly withdrawn.\n\n[202] An historical character who was formerly among the ranks of the\nYellow Turban rebels, but subsequently entered the service of Kuan Y\u00fc\n(see No. I., note 39), and was canonized by an Emperor of the last\ndynasty.\n\n[203] This curious ceremony is the final touch to a newly-built or\nnewly-restored temple, and consists in giving expression to the eyes\nof the freshly-painted idols, which have been purposely left blank by\nthe painter. Up to that time these blocks of clay or wood are not\nsupposed to have been animated by the spiritual presence of the deity\nin question; but no sooner are the eyes lighted than the gratified God\nsmiles down upon the handsome decorations thus provided by devout and\ntrusting suppliants.\n\nThere is a cognate custom belonging to the ceremonies of ancestral\nworship, of great importance in the eyes of the Chinese. On a certain\nday after the death of a parent, the surviving head of the family\nproceeds with much solemnity to dab a spot of ink upon the memorial\ntablet of the deceased. This is believed to give to the departed\nspirit the power of remaining near to, and watching over the fortunes\nof, those left behind.\n\n[204] Such indeed is the fate of a per-centage of all public\nsubscriptions raised and handled by Chinese of no matter what class. A\nyear or two ago an application was made to me for a donation to a\nnative foundling hospital at Swatow, on the ground that I was known as\na \u201cread (Chinese) book man,\u201d and that consequently other persons, both\nChinese and foreigners, might be induced to follow my example. On my\ndeclining to do so, the manager of the concern informed me that if I\nwould only put down my name for fifty dollars, say \u00a310, no call should\nbe made upon me for the money! Even in the matter of the funds\ncollected for the famine-stricken people of 1878, it is whispered that\npeculation has been rife.\n\n[205] The reader must recollect that these are the words of the God,\nspeaking from the magician\u2019s body.\n\n\n\n\nCXIV.\n\nTAOIST MIRACLES.\n\n\nAt Chi-nan Fu there lived a certain priest: I cannot say whence he\ncame, or what was his name. Winter and summer alike he wore but one\nunlined robe, and a yellow girdle about his waist, with neither shirt\nnor trousers. He combed his hair with a broken comb, holding the ends\nin his mouth, like the strings of a hat. By day he wandered about the\nmarket-place; at night he slept in the street, and to a distance of\nseveral feet round where he lay, the ice and snow would melt. When he\nfirst arrived at Chi-nan he used to perform miracles, and the people\nvied with each other in making him presents. One day a disreputable\nyoung fellow gave him a quantity of wine, and begged him in return to\ndivulge the secret of his power; and when the priest refused, the\nyoung man watched him get into the river to bathe, and then ran off\nwith his clothes. The priest called out to him to bring them back,\npromising that he would do as the young man required; but the latter,\ndistrusting the priest\u2019s good faith, refused to do so; whereupon the\npriest\u2019s girdle was forthwith changed into a snake, several spans in\ncircumference, which coiled itself round its master\u2019s head, and glared\nand hissed terribly. The young man now fell on his knees, and humbly\nprayed the priest to save his life; at which the priest put his girdle\non again, and a snake that had appeared to be his girdle, wriggled\naway and disappeared. The priest\u2019s fame was thus firmly established,\nand the gentry and officials of the place were constantly inviting him\nto join them in their festive parties. By-and-by the priest said he\nwas going to invite his entertainers to a return feast;[206] and at\nthe appointed time each one of them found on his table a formal\ninvitation to a banquet at the Water Pavilion, but no one knew who had\nbrought the letters. However, they all went, and were met at the door\nby the priest, in his usual garb; and when they got inside, the place\nwas all desolate and bare, with no banquet ready. \u201cI\u2019m afraid I shall\nbe obliged to ask you gentlemen to let me use your attendants,\u201d said\nthe priest to his guests; \u201cI am a poor man, and keep no servants\nmyself.\u201d To this all readily consented; whereupon the priest drew a\ndouble door upon the wall, and rapped upon it with his knuckles.\nSomebody answered from within, and immediately the door was thrown\nopen, and a splendid array of handsome chairs, and tables loaded with\nexquisite viands and costly wines, burst upon the gaze of the\nastonished guests. The priest bade the attendants receive all these\nthings from the door, and bring them outside, cautioning them on no\naccount to speak with the people inside; and thus a most luxurious\nentertainment was provided to the great amazement of all present.\n\nNow this Pavilion stood upon the bank of a small lake, and every year,\nat the proper season, it was literally covered with lilies; but, at\nthe time of this feast, the weather was cold, and the surface of the\nlake was of a smoky green colour. \u201cIt\u2019s a pity,\u201d said one of the\nguests, \u201cthat the lilies are not out\u201d--a sentiment in which the others\nvery cordially agreed, when suddenly a servant came running in to say\nthat, at that moment, the lake was a perfect mass of lilies. Every one\njumped up directly, and ran to look out of the window, and, lo! it was\nso; and in another minute the fragrant perfume of the flowers was\nborne towards them by the breeze. Hardly knowing what to make of this\nstrange sight, they sent off some servants, in a boat, to gather a few\nof the lilies, but they soon returned empty-handed, saying, that the\nflowers seemed to shift their position as fast as they rowed towards\nthem; at which the priest laughed, and said, \u201cThese are but the lilies\nof your imagination, and have no real existence.\u201d And later on, when\nthe wine was finished, the flowers began to droop and fade; and\nby-and-by a breeze from the north carried off every sign of them,\nleaving the lake as it had been before.\n\nA certain Taot\u2018ai,[207] at Chi-nan, was much taken with this priest,\nand gave him rooms at his yam\u00ean. One day, he had some friends to\ndinner, and set before them some very choice old wine that he had, and\nof which he only brought out a small quantity at a time, not wishing\nto get through it too rapidly. The guests, however, liked it so much\nthat they asked for more; upon which the Taot\u2018ai said, \u201che was very\nsorry, but it was all finished.\u201d The priest smiled at this, and said,\n\u201cI can give the gentlemen some, if they will oblige me by accepting\nit;\u201d and immediately inserted the wine-kettle[208] in his sleeve,\nbringing it out again directly, and pouring out for the guests. This\nwine tasted exactly like the choice wine they had just been drinking,\nand the priest gave them all as much of it as they wanted, which made\nthe Taot\u2018ai suspect that something was wrong; so, after the dinner, he\nwent into his cellar to look at his own stock, when he found the jars\nclosely tied down, with unbroken seals, but one and all empty. In a\ngreat rage, he caused the priest to be arrested for sorcery, and\nproceeded to have him bambooed; but no sooner had the bamboo touched\nthe priest than the Taot\u2018ai himself felt a sting of pain, which\nincreased at every blow; and, in a few moments, there was the priest\nwrithing and shrieking under every cut,[209] while the Taot\u2018ai was\nsitting in a pool of blood. Accordingly, the punishment was soon\nstopped, and the priest was commanded to leave Chi-nan, which he did,\nand I know not whither he went. He was subsequently seen at Nanking,\ndressed precisely as of old; but on being spoken to, he only smiled\nand made no reply.\n\n\nFOOTNOTES:\n\n[206] It is considered a serious breach of Chinese etiquette to accept\ninvitations without returning the compliment at an early date.\n\n[207] A high Chinese official, known to foreigners as Intendant of\nCircuit; the circuit being a circuit of Prefectures, over which he has\nfull control, subject only to the approval of the highest provincial\nauthorities. It is with this functionary that foreign Consuls rank.\n\n[208] See No. XCIII., note 122.\n\n[209] Of course only pretending to be hurt, the pain of the blows\nbeing transferred by his magical art to the back of the Taot\u2018ai.\n\n\n\n\nCXV.\n\nARRIVAL OF BUDDHIST PRIESTS.\n\n\nTwo Buddhist priests having arrived from the West,[210] one went to\nthe Wu-t\u2018ai hill, while the other hung up his staff[211] at T\u2018ai-shan.\nTheir clothes, complexions, language, and features, were very\ndifferent from those of our country. They further said they had\ncrossed the Fiery Mountains, from the peaks of which smoke was always\nissuing as from the chimney of a furnace; that they could only travel\nafter rain, and that excessive caution was necessary to avoid\ndisplacing any stone and thus giving a vent to the flames. They also\nstated that they had passed through the River of Sand, in the middle\nof which was a crystal hill with perpendicular sides and perfectly\ntransparent; and that there was a defile just broad enough to admit a\nsingle cart, its entrance guarded by two dragons with crossed horns.\nThose who wished to pass prostrated themselves before these dragons,\nand on receiving permission to enter, the horns opened and let them\nthrough. The dragons were of a white colour, and their scales and\nbristles seemed to be of crystal. Eighteen winters and summers these\npriests had been on the road; and of twelve who started from the west\ntogether, only two reached China.[212] These two said that in their\ncountry four of our mountains are held in great esteem, namely, T\u2018ai,\nHua, Wu-t\u2018ai, and Lo-chia. The people there also think that China[213]\nis paved with yellow gold, that Kuan-yin and W\u00ean-shu[214] are still\nalive, and that they have only come here to be sure of their\nBuddhahood and of immortal life. Hearing these words it struck me that\nthis was precisely what our own people say and think about the West;\nand that if travellers from each country could only meet half way and\ntell each other the true state of affairs, there would be some hearty\nlaughter on both sides, and a saving of much unnecessary trouble.\n\n\nFOOTNOTES:\n\n[210] That is, missionaries from India.\n\n[211] See No. LVI., note 320.\n\n[212] Much of the above recalls Fa Hsien\u2019s narrative of his celebrated\njourney from China to India in the early years of the fifth century of\nour era, with which our author was evidently well acquainted. That\ncourageous traveller complained that of those who had set out with him\nsome had stopped on the way and others had died, leaving him only his\nown shadow as a companion.\n\n[213] This may almost be said to have been the belief of the Arabs at\nthe date of the composition of \u201cThe Arabian Nights.\u201d\n\n[214] For Kuan-yin, see No. XXXIII., note 208. W\u00ean-shu, or Manjusiri,\nis the God of Wisdom, and is generally represented as riding on a\nlion, in attendance, together with P\u2018u-hsien, the God of Action, who\nrides an elephant, upon Sh\u00e2kyamuni Buddha.\n\n\n\n\nCXVI.\n\nTHE STOLEN EYES.\n\n\nWhen His Excellency Mr. T\u2018ang, of our village, was quite a child, a\nrelative of his took him to a temple to see the usual theatrical\nperformances.[215] He was a clever little fellow, afraid of nothing\nand nobody; and when he saw one of the clay images in the vestibule\nstaring at him with its great glass[216] eyes, the temptation was\nirresistible; and, secretly gouging them out with his finger, he\ncarried them off with him. When they reached home, his relative was\ntaken suddenly ill and remained for a long time speechless; at length,\njumping up he cried out several times in a voice of thunder, \u201cWhy did\nyou gouge out my eyes?\u201d His family did not know what to make of this,\nuntil little T\u2018ang told them what he had done; they then immediately\nbegan to pray to the possessed man, saying, \u201cA mere child,\nunconscious of the wickedness of his act, took away in his fun thy\nsacred eyes. They shall be reverently replaced.\u201d Thereupon the voice\nexclaimed, \u201cIn that case, I shall go away;\u201d and he had hardly spoken\nbefore T\u2018ang\u2019s relative fell flat upon the ground and lay there in a\nstate of insensibility for some time. When he recovered, they asked\nhim concerning what he had said; but he remembered nothing of it. The\neyes were then forthwith restored to their original sockets.\n\n\nFOOTNOTES:\n\n[215] See No. XLVIII., note 277.\n\n[216] The term here used stands for a vitreous composition that has\nlong been prepared by the Chinese. Glass, properly so called, is said\nto have been introduced into China from the west, by a eunuch, during\nthe Ming dynasty.\n\n\n\n\nCXVII.\n\nTHE INVISIBLE PRIEST.\n\n\nMr. Han was a gentleman of good family, on very intimate terms with a\nskilful Taoist priest and magician named Tan, who, when sitting\namongst other guests, would suddenly become invisible. Mr. Han was\nextremely anxious to learn this art, but Tan refused all his\nentreaties, \u201cNot,\u201d as he said, \u201cbecause I want to keep the secret for\nmyself, but simply as a matter of principle. To teach the superior\nman[217] would be well enough; others, however, would avail themselves\nof such knowledge to plunder their neighbours. There is no fear that\nyou would do this, though even you might be tempted in certain ways.\u201d\nMr. Han, finding all his efforts unavailing, flew into a great\npassion, and secretly arranged with his servants that they should give\nthe magician a sound beating; and, in order to prevent his escape\nthrough the power of making himself invisible, he had his\nthreshing-floor[218] covered with a fine ash-dust, so that at any rate\nhis footsteps would be seen and the servants could strike just above\nthem.[219] He then inveigled Tan to the appointed spot, which he had\nno sooner reached than Han\u2019s servants began to belabour him on all\nsides with leathern thongs. Tan immediately became invisible, but his\nfootprints were clearly seen as he moved about hither and thither to\navoid the blows, and the servants went on striking above them until\nfinally he succeeded in getting away. Mr. Han then went home, and\nsubsequently Tan reappeared and told the servants that he could stay\nthere no longer, adding that before he went he intended to give them\nall a feast in return for many things they had done for him. And\ndiving into his sleeve he brought forth a quantity of delicious meats\nand wines which he spread out upon the table, begging them to sit down\nand enjoy themselves. The servants did so, and one and all of them got\ndrunk and insensible; upon which Tan picked each of them up and stowed\nthem away in his sleeve. When Mr. Han heard of this, he begged Tan to\nperform some other trick; so Tan drew upon the wall a city, and\nknocking at the gate with his hand it was instantly thrown open. He\nthen put inside it his wallet and clothes, and stepping through the\ngateway himself, waved his hand and bade Mr. Han farewell. The city\ngates were now closed, and Tan vanished from their sight. It was said\nthat he appeared again in Ch\u2018ing-chou, where he taught little boys to\npaint a circle on their hands, and, by dabbing this on to another\nperson\u2019s face or clothes, to imprint the circle on the place thus\nstruck without a trace of it being left behind upon the hand.\n\n\nFOOTNOTES:\n\n[217] The perfect man, according to the Confucian standard.\n\n[218] A large, smooth, area of concrete, to be seen outside all\ncountry houses of any size, and used for preparing the various kinds\nof grain.\n\n[219] Compare--\u201cThe not uncommon practice of strewing ashes to show\nthe footprints of ghosts or demons takes for granted that they are\nsubstantial bodies.\u201d--Tylor\u2019s _Primitive Culture_, Vol. I., p. 455.\n\n\n\n\nCXVIII.\n\nTHE CENSOR IN PURGATORY.\n\n\nJust beyond F\u00eang-tu[220] there is a fathomless cave which is reputed\nto be the entrance to Purgatory. All the implements of torture\nemployed therein are of human manufacture; old, worn-out gyves and\nfetters being occasionally found at the mouth of the cave, and as\nregularly replaced by new ones, which disappear the same night, and\nfor which the magistrate of the district makes a formal charge[221] in\nhis accounts.\n\nUnder the Ming dynasty, there was a certain Censor,[222] named Hua,\nwhose duties brought him to this place; and hearing the story of the\ncave, he said he did not believe it, but would penetrate into it and\nsee for himself. People tried to dissuade him from such an enterprise;\nhowever, he paid no heed to their remonstrances, and entered the cave\nwith a lighted candle in his hand, followed by two attendants. They\nhad proceeded about half a mile, when suddenly the candle was\nviolently extinguished, and Mr. Hua saw before him a broad flight of\nsteps leading up to the Ten Courts, or Judgment-halls, in each of\nwhich a judge was sitting with his robes and tablets all complete. On\nthe eastern side there was one vacant place; and when the judges saw\nMr. Hua, they hastened down the steps to meet him, and each one cried\nout, \u201cSo you have come at last, have you? I hope you have been quite\nwell since last we met.\u201d Mr. Hua asked what the place was; to which\nthey replied that it was the Court of Purgatory, and then Mr. Hua in a\ngreat fright was about to take his leave, when the judges stopped him,\nsaying, \u201cNo, no, Sir! that is your seat there; how can you imagine you\nare to go back again?\u201d Thereupon Mr. Hua was overwhelmed with fear,\nand begged and implored the judges to forgive him; but the latter\ndeclared they could not interfere with the decrees of fate, and taking\ndown the register of Life and Death they showed him that it had been\nordained that on such a day of such a month his living body would pass\ninto the realms of darkness. When Mr. Hua read these words he shivered\nand shook as if iced water was being poured down his back, and\nthinking of his old mother and his young children, his tears began to\nflow. At that juncture an angel in golden armour appeared, holding in\nhis hand a document written on yellow silk,[223] before which the\njudges all performed a respectful obeisance. They then unfolded and\nread the document, which was nothing more or less than a general\npardon from the Almighty for the suffering sinners in Purgatory, by\nvirtue of which Mr. Hua\u2019s fate would be set aside, and he would be\nenabled to return once more to the light of day. Thereupon the judges\ncongratulated him upon his release, and started him on his way home;\nbut he had not got more than a few steps of the way before he found\nhimself plunged in total darkness. He was just beginning to despair,\nwhen forth from the gloom came a God with a red face and a long beard,\nrays of light shooting out from his body and illuminating the darkness\naround. Mr. Hua made up to him at once, and begged to know how he\ncould get out of the cave; to which the God curtly replied, \u201cRepeat\nthe _s\u00fbtras_ of Buddha!\u201d and vanished instantly from his sight. Now\nMr. Hua had forgotten almost all the _s\u00fbtras_ he had ever known;\nhowever, he remembered a little of the diamond _s\u00fbtra_, and, clasping\nhis hands in an attitude of prayer, he began to repeat it aloud. No\nsooner had he done this than a faint streak of light glimmered through\nthe darkness, and revealed to him the direction of the path; but the\nnext moment he was at a loss how to go on and the light forthwith\ndisappeared. He then set himself to think hard what the next verse\nwas, and as fast as he recollected and could go on repeating, so fast\ndid the light reappear to guide him on his way, until at length he\nemerged once more from the mouth of the cave. As to the fate of the\ntwo servants who accompanied him it is needless to inquire.\n\n\nFOOTNOTES:\n\n[220] F\u00eang-tu is a district city in the province of Szechuen, and near\nit are said to be fire-wells (see Williams\u2019 _Syllabic Dictionary_,\ns.v.), otherwise known as the entrance to Purgatory, the capital city\nof which is also called F\u00eang-tu.\n\n[221] To the Imperial Treasury. From what I know of the barefacedness\nof similar official impostures, I should say that this statement is\nquite within the bounds of truth. For instance, at Amoy one per cent.\nis collected by the local mandarins on all imports, ostensibly for the\npurpose of providing the Imperial table with a delicious kind of\nbird\u2019s-nest said to be found in the neighbourhood! Seven-tenths of the\nsum thus collected is pocketed by the various officials of the place,\nand with the remaining three-tenths a certain quantity of the ordinary\narticle of commerce is imported from the Straits and forwarded to\nPeking.\n\n[222] See No. XXXII., note 197.\n\n[223] An Imperial mandate is always written on yellow silk, and the\nceremony of opening and perusing it is accompanied by prostrations and\nother acts of reverential submission.\n\n\n\n\nCXIX.\n\nMR. WILLOW AND THE LOCUSTS.\n\n\nDuring the Ming dynasty a plague of locusts[224] visited Ch\u2018ing-yen,\nand was advancing rapidly towards the I district, when the magistrate\nof that place, in great tribulation at the pending disaster, retired\none day to sleep behind the screen in his office. There he dreamt that\na young graduate, named Willow, wearing a tall hat and a green robe,\nand of very commanding stature, came to see him, and declared that he\ncould tell the magistrate how to get rid of the locusts. \u201cTo-morrow,\u201d\nsaid he, \u201con the south-west road, you will see a woman riding[225] on\na large jennet: she is the Spirit of the Locusts; ask her, and she\nwill help you.\u201d The magistrate thought this strange advice; however,\nhe got everything ready, and waited, as he had been told, at the\nroadside. By-and-by, along came a woman with her hair tied up in a\nknot, and a serge cape over her shoulders, riding slowly northwards on\nan old mule; whereupon the magistrate burned some sticks of incense,\nand, seizing the mule\u2019s bridle, humbly presented a goblet of wine. The\nwoman asked him what he wanted; to which he replied, \u201cLady, I implore\nyou to save my small magistracy from the dreadful ravages of your\nlocusts.\u201d \u201cOho!\u201d said the woman, \u201cthat scoundrel, Willow, has been\nletting the cat out of the bag, has he? He shall suffer for it: I\nwon\u2019t touch your crops.\u201d She then drank three cups of wine, and\nvanished out of sight. Subsequently, when the locusts did come, they\nflew high in the air, and did not settle on the crops; but they\nstripped the leaves off every willow-tree far and wide; and then the\nmagistrate awaked to the fact that the graduate of his dream was the\nSpirit of the Willows. Some said that this happy result was owing to\nthe magistrate\u2019s care for the welfare of his people.\n\n\nFOOTNOTES:\n\n[224] Innumerable pamphlets have been published in China on the best\nmethods of getting rid of these destructive insects, but none to my\nknowledge contain much sound or practical advice.\n\n[225] See No. LII., note 286. The mules of the north of China are\nmarvels of beauty and strength; and the price of a fine animal often\ngoes as high as \u00a3100.\n\n\n\n\nCXX.\n\nMR. TUNG; OR, VIRTUE REWARDED.\n\n\nAt Ch\u2018ing-chow there lived a Mr. Tung, President of one of the Six\nBoards, whose domestic regulations were so strict that the men and\nwomen servants were not allowed to speak to each other.[226] One day\nhe caught a slave-girl laughing and talking with one of his\nattendants, and gave them both a sound rating. That night he retired\nto sleep, accompanied by his _valet-de-chambre_, in his library, the\ndoor of which, as it was very hot weather, was left wide open. When\nthe night was far advanced, the valet was awaked by a noise at his\nmaster\u2019s bed: and, opening his eyes, he saw, by the light of the moon,\nthe attendant above-mentioned pass out of the door with something in\nhis hand. Recognizing the man as one of the family, he thought nothing\nof the occurrence, but turned round and went to sleep again. Soon\nafter, however, he was again aroused by the noise of footsteps\ntramping heavily across the room, and, looking up, he beheld a huge\nbeing with a red face and a long beard, very like the God of\nWar,[227] carrying a man\u2019s head. Horribly frightened, he crawled under\nthe bed, and then he heard sounds above him as of clothes being shaken\nout, and as if some one was being shampooed.[228] In a few moments,\nthe boots tramped once more across the room and went away; and then he\ngradually put out his head, and, seeing the dawn beginning to peep\nthrough the window, he stretched out his hand to reach his clothes.\nThese he found to be soaked through and through, and, on applying his\nhand to his nose, he smelt the smell of blood. He now called out\nloudly to his master, who jumped up at once; and, by the light of a\ncandle, they saw that the bed clothes and pillows were alike steeped\nin blood. Just then some constables knocked at the door, and when Mr.\nTung went out to see who it was, the constables were all astonishment;\n\u201cfor,\u201d said they, \u201ca few minutes ago a man rushed wildly up to our\nyam\u00ean, and said he had killed his master; and, as he himself was\ncovered with blood, he was arrested, and turned out to be a servant of\nyours. He also declared that he had buried your head alongside the\ntemple of the God of War; and when we went to look, there, indeed, was\na freshly-dug hole, but the head was gone.\u201d Mr. Tung was amazed at all\nthis story, and, on proceeding to the magistrate\u2019s yam\u00ean, he\ndiscovered that the man in charge was the attendant whom he had\nscolded the day before. Thereupon, the criminal was severely bambooed\nand released; and then Mr. Tung, who was unwilling to make an enemy of\na man of this stamp, gave him the girl to wife. However, a few nights\nafterwards the people who lived next door to the newly-married couple\nheard a terrific crash in their house, and, rushing in to see what was\nthe matter, found that husband and wife, and the bedstead as well, had\nbeen cut clean in two as if by a sword. The ways of the God are many,\nindeed, but few more extraordinary than this.[229]\n\n\nFOOTNOTES:\n\n[226] See No. XL., note 233, and No. XCIV., note 134.\n\n[227] See No. I., note 39.\n\n[228] See No. LXIX., note 38.\n\n[229] It was the God of War who replaced Mr. Tung\u2019s head after it had\nactually been cut off and buried.\n\n\n\n\nCXXI.\n\nTHE DEAD PRIEST.\n\n\nA certain Taoist priest, overtaken in his wanderings by the shades of\nevening, sought refuge in a small Buddhist monastery. The monk\u2019s\napartment was, however, locked; so he threw his mat down in the\nvestibule of the shrine, and seated himself upon it. In the middle of\nthe night, when all was still, he heard a sound of some one opening\nthe door behind him; and looking round, he saw a Buddhist priest,\ncovered with blood from head to foot, who did not seem to notice that\nanybody else was present. Accordingly, he himself pretended not to be\naware of what was going on; and then he saw the other priest enter the\nshrine, mount the altar, and remain there some time embracing Buddha\u2019s\nhead, and laughing by turns. When morning came, he found the monk\u2019s\nroom still locked; and, suspecting something was wrong, he walked to a\nneighbouring village, where he told the people what he had seen.\nThereupon the villagers went back with him, and broke open the door,\nand there before them lay the priest weltering in his blood, having\nevidently been killed by robbers, who had stripped the place bare.\nAnxious now to find out what had made the disembodied spirit of the\npriest laugh in the way it had been seen to do, they proceeded to\ninspect the head of the Buddha on the altar; and, at the back of it,\nthey noticed a small mark, scraping through which they discovered a\nsum of over thirty ounces of silver. This sum was forthwith used for\ndefraying the funeral expenses of the murdered man.\n\n\n\n\nCXXII.\n\nTHE FLYING COW.\n\n\nA certain man, who had bought a fine cow, dreamt the same night that\nwings grew out of the animal\u2019s back, and that it had flown away.\nRegarding this as an omen of some pending misfortune, he led the cow\noff to market again, and sold it at a ruinous loss. Wrapping up in a\ncloth the silver he received, he slung it over his back, and was half\nway home, when he saw a falcon eating part of a hare.[230] Approaching\nthe bird, he found it was quite tame, and accordingly tied it by the\nleg to one of the corners of the cloth, in which his money was. The\nfalcon fluttered about a good deal, trying to escape; and, by-and-by,\nthe man\u2019s hold being for a moment relaxed, away went the bird, cloth,\nmoney, and all. \u201cIt was destiny,\u201d said the man every time he told the\nstory; ignorant as he was, first, that no faith should be put in\ndreams;[231] and, secondly, that people shouldn\u2019t take things they see\nby the wayside.[232] Quadrupeds don\u2019t usually fly.\n\n\nFOOTNOTES:\n\n[230] See No. VI., note 51.\n\n[231] The highly educated Confucianist rises above the superstition\nthat darkens the lives of his less fortunate fellow countrymen. Had\nsuch a dream as the above received an inauspicious interpretation at\nthe hands of some local soothsayer, the owner of the animal would in\nnine cases out of ten have taken an early opportunity of getting rid\nof it.\n\n[232] The Chinese love to refer to the \u201cgood old time\u201d of their\nforefathers, when a man who dropped anything on the highway would have\nno cause to hurry back for fear of its being carried off by a\nstranger.\n\n\n\n\nCXXIII.\n\nTHE \u201cMIRROR AND LISTEN\u201d TRICK.\n\n\nAt I-tu there lived a family of the name of Ch\u00eang. The two sons were\nboth distinguished scholars, but the elder was early known to fame,\nand, consequently, the favourite with his parents, who also extended\ntheir preference to his wife. The younger brother was a trifle wild,\nwhich displeased his father and mother very much, and made them regard\nhis wife, too, with anything but a friendly eye. The latter reproached\nher husband for being the cause of this, and asked him why he, being a\nman like his brother, could not vindicate the slights that were put\nupon her. This piqued him; and, setting to work in good earnest, he\nsoon gained a fair reputation, though still not equal to his\nbrother\u2019s. That year the two went up for the highest degree; and, on\nNew Year\u2019s Eve, the wife of the younger, very anxious for the success\nof her husband, secretly tried the \u201cmirror and listen\u201d trick.[233] She\nsaw two men pushing each other in jest, and heard them say, \u201cYou go\nand get cool,\u201d which remark she was quite unable to interpret for good\nor for bad, so she thought no more about the matter. After the\nexamination, the two brothers returned home; and one day, when the\nweather was extremely hot, and their two wives were hard at work in\nthe cook-house, preparing food for their field-labourers, a messenger\nrode up in hot haste[234] to announce that the elder brother had\npassed. Thereupon his mother went into the cook-house, and, calling to\nher daughter-in-law, said, \u201cYour husband has passed; _you go and get\ncool_.\u201d Rage and grief now filled the breast of the second son\u2019s wife,\nwho, with tears in her eyes, continued her task of cooking, when\nsuddenly another messenger rushed in to say, that the second son had\npassed, too. At this, his wife flung down her frying-pan, and cried\nout, \u201cNow I\u2019ll _go and get cool_;\u201d and as in the heat of her\nexcitement she uttered these words, the recollection of her trial of\nthe \u201cmirror and listen\u201d trick flashed upon her, and she knew that the\nwords of that evening had been fulfilled.\n\n\nFOOTNOTES:\n\n[233] One method is to wrap an old mirror (formerly a polished metal\ndisc) in a handkerchief, and then, no one being present, to bow seven\ntimes towards the Spirit of the Hearth: after which the first words\nheard spoken by any one will give a clue to the issue under\ninvestigation. Another method is to close the eyes and take seven\npaces, opening them at the seventh and getting some hint from the\nobjects first seen in a mirror held in the hand, coupled with the\nwords first spoken within the experimenter\u2019s hearing.\n\n[234] In former days, these messengers of good tidings to candidates\nwhose homes were in distant parts used to earn handsome sums if first\nto announce the news; but now, at any rate along the coast, steamers\nand the telegraph have taken their occupation from them.\n\n\n\n\nCXXIV.\n\nTHE CATTLE PLAGUE.\n\n\nCh\u2018\u00ean Hua-f\u00eang, of M\u00eang-shan, overpowered by the great heat, went and\nlay down under a tree, when suddenly up came a man with a thick\ncomforter round his neck, who also sat down on a stone in the shade,\nand began fanning himself as hard as he could, the perspiration all\nthe time running off him like a waterfall. Ch\u2018\u00ean rose and said to him\nwith a smile, \u201cIf Sir, you were to remove that comforter, you would be\ncool enough without the help of a fan.\u201d \u201cIt would be easy enough,\u201d\nreplied the stranger, \u201cto take off my comforter; but the difficulty\nwould be in getting it on again.\u201d He then went on to converse\ngenerally upon other matters, in a manner which betokened considerable\nrefinement; and by-and-by he exclaimed, \u201cWhat I should like now is\njust a draught of iced wine to cool the twelve joints of my\n\u0153sophagus.\u201d[235] \u201cCome along, then,\u201d cried Ch\u2018\u00ean, \u201cmy house is close\nby, and I shall be happy to give you what you want.\u201d So off they went\ntogether; and Ch\u2018\u00ean set before them some capital wine, which he\nproduced from a cave, cold enough to numb their teeth. The stranger\nwas delighted, and remained there drinking until late in the evening,\nwhen, all at once, it began to rain. Ch\u2018\u00ean lighted a lamp; and he and\nhis guest, who now took off the comforter, sat talking together in\n_dishabille_. Every now and again the former thought he saw a light\ncoming from the back of the stranger\u2019s head; and when at length he had\ngone off into a tipsy sleep, Ch\u2018\u00ean took the light to examine more\nclosely. He found behind the ears a large cavity, partitioned by a\nnumber of membranes, and looking like a lattice, with a thin skin\nhanging down in front of each, the spaces being apparently empty. In\ngreat astonishment Ch\u2018\u00ean took a hair-pin, and inserted it into one of\nthese places, when pff! out flew something like a tiny cow, which\nbroke through the window,[236] and was gone. This frightened Ch\u2018\u00ean,\nand he determined to play no more tricks; just then, however, the\nstranger waked up. \u201cAlas!\u201d cried he, \u201cyou have been at my head, and\nhave let out the Cattle Plague. What is to be done, now?\u201d Ch\u2018\u00ean asked\nwhat he meant: upon which the stranger said, \u201cThere is no object in\nfurther concealment. I will tell you all. I am the Angel of\nPestilence for the six kinds of domestic animals. That form which you\nhave let out attacks oxen, and I fear that, for miles round, few will\nescape alive.\u201d Now Ch\u2018\u00ean himself was a cattle-farmer, and when he\nheard this was dreadfully alarmed, and implored the stranger to tell\nhim what to do. \u201cWhat to do!\u201d replied he; \u201cwhy, I shall not escape\npunishment myself; how can I tell you what to do. However, you will\nfind powdered _K\u2018u-ts\u2018an_[237] an efficacious remedy, that is if you\ndon\u2019t keep it a secret for your private use.\u201d[238] The stranger then\ndeparted, first of all piling up a quantity of earth in a niche in the\nwall, a handful of which, he told Ch\u2018\u00ean, given to each animal, might\nprove of some avail. Before long the plague did break out; and Ch\u2018\u00ean,\nwho was desirous of making a little money by it, told the remedy to no\none, with the exception of his younger brother. The latter tried it on\nhis own beasts with great success; while, on the other hand, those\nbelonging to Ch\u2018\u00ean himself died off, to the number of fifty head,[239]\nleaving him only four or five old cows, which shewed every sign of\nsoon sharing the same fate. In his distress, Ch\u2018\u00ean suddenly bethought\nhimself of the earth in the niche; and, as a last resource, gave some\nto the sick animals. By the next morning they were quite well, and\nthen he knew that his secrecy about the remedy had caused it to have\nno effect. From that moment his stock went on increasing, and in a few\nyears he had as many as ever.\n\n\nFOOTNOTES:\n\n[235] Accurate anatomical descriptions must not be looked for in\nChinese literature. \u201cMan has three hundred and sixty-five bones,\ncorresponding to the number of days it takes the heavens to revolve.\u201d\nFrom the _Hsi-y\u00fcan-lu_, or _Institutions to Coroners_, Book I., ch.\n12. [See No. XIV., note 100.]\n\n[236] See No. X., note 79.\n\n[237] _Radix robini\u00e6 amar\u00e6._\n\n[238] As the Chinese invariably do whenever they get hold of a useful\nprescription or remedy. Master workmen also invariably try to withhold\nsomething of their art from the apprentices they engage to teach.\n\n[239] The text has \u201cof two hundred hoofs.\u201d\n\n\n\n\nCXXV.\n\nTHE MARRIAGE OF THE VIRGIN GODDESS.\n\n\nAt Kuei-chi there is a shrine to the Plum Virgin, who was formerly a\nyoung lady named Ma, and lived at Tung-wan. Her betrothed husband\ndying before the wedding, she swore she would never marry, and at\nthirty years of age she died. Her kinsfolk built a shrine to her\nmemory, and gave her the title of the Plum Virgin. Some years\nafterwards, a Mr. Chin, on his way to the examination, happened to\npass by the shrine; and entering in, he walked up and down thinking\nvery much of the young lady in whose honour it had been erected. That\nnight he dreamt that a servant came to summon him into the presence of\nthe Goddess; and that, in obedience to her command, he went and found\nher waiting for him just outside the shrine. \u201cI am deeply grateful to\nyou, Sir,\u201d said the Goddess, on his approach, \u201cfor giving me so large\na share of your thoughts; and I intend to repay you by becoming your\nhumble handmaid.\u201d Mr. Chin bowed an assent; and then the Goddess\nescorted him back, saying, \u201cWhen your place is ready, I will come and\nfetch you.\u201d On waking in the morning, Mr. Chin was not over pleased\nwith his dream; however that very night every one of the villagers\ndreamt that the Goddess appeared and said she was going to marry Mr.\nChin, bidding them at once prepare an image of him. This the village\nelders, out of respect for their Goddess, positively refused to do;\nuntil at length they all began to fall ill, and then they made a clay\nimage of Mr. Chin, and placed it on the left of the Goddess. Mr. Chin\nnow told his wife that the Plum Virgin had come for him; and, putting\non his official cap and robes, he straightway died. Thereupon his wife\nwas very angry; and, going to the shrine, she first abused the\nGoddess, and then, getting on the altar, slapped her face well. The\nGoddess is now called Chin\u2019s virgin wife.\n\n\n\n\nCXXVI.\n\nTHE WINE INSECT.\n\n\nA Mr. Lin of Ch\u2018ang-shan was extremely fat, and so fond of wine[240]\nthat he would often finish a pitcher by himself. However, he owned\nabout fifty acres of land, half of which was covered with millet, and\nbeing well off, he did not consider that his drinking would bring him\ninto trouble. One day a foreign Buddhist priest saw him, and remarked\nthat he appeared to be suffering from some extraordinary complaint.\nMr. Lin said nothing was the matter with him; whereupon the priest\nasked him if he often got drunk. Lin acknowledged that he did; and the\npriest told him that he was afflicted by the wine insect. \u201cDear me!\u201d\ncried Lin, in great alarm, \u201cdo you think you could cure me?\u201d The\npriest declared there would be no difficulty in doing so; but when Lin\nasked him what drugs he intended to use, the priest said he should not\nuse any at all. He then made Lin lie down in the sun; and tying his\nhands and feet together, he placed a stoup of good wine about half a\nfoot from his head. By-and-by, Lin felt a deadly thirst coming on; and\nthe flavour of the wine passing through his nostrils, seemed to set\nhis vitals on fire. Just then he experienced a tickling sensation in\nhis throat, and something ran out of his mouth and jumped into the\nwine. On being released from his bonds, he saw that it was an insect\nabout three inches in length, which wriggled about in the wine like a\ntadpole, and had mouth and eyes all complete. Lin was overjoyed, and\noffered money to the priest, who refused to take it, saying, all he\nwanted was the insect, which he explained to Lin was the essence of\nwine, and which, on being stirred up in water, would turn it into\nwine. Lin tried this, and found it was so; and ever afterwards he\ndetested the sight of wine. He subsequently became very thin, and so\npoor that he had hardly enough to eat and drink.[241]\n\n\nFOOTNOTES:\n\n[240] The ordinary \u201cwine\u201d of China is a spirit distilled from rice.\nSee No. XCIII., note 122.\n\n[241] The commentator would have us believe that Mr. Lin\u2019s fondness\nfor wine was to him an element of health and happiness rather than a\ndisease to be cured, and that the priest was wrong in meddling with\nthe natural bent of his constitution.\n\n\n\n\nCXXVII.\n\nTHE FAITHFUL DOG.\n\n\nA certain man of Lu-ngan, whose father had been cast into prison, and\nwas brought almost to death\u2019s door,[242] scraped together one hundred\nounces of silver, and set out for the city to try and arrange for his\nparent\u2019s release. Jumping on a mule, he saw that a black dog,\nbelonging to the family, was following him. He tried in vain to make\nthe dog remain at home; and when, after travelling for some miles, he\ngot off his mule to rest awhile, he picked up a large stone and threw\nit at the dog, which then ran off. However, he was no sooner on the\nroad again, than up came the dog, and tried to stop the mule by\nholding on to its tail. His master beat it off with the whip;\nwhereupon the dog ran barking loudly in front of the mule, and seemed\nto be using every means in its power to cause his master to stop. The\nlatter thought this a very inauspicious omen, and turning upon the\nanimal in a rage, drove it away out of sight. He now went on to the\ncity; but when, in the dusk of the evening, he arrived there, he found\nthat about half his money was gone. In a terrible state of mind he\ntossed about all night; then, all of a sudden, it flashed across him\nthat the strange behaviour of the dog might possibly have some\nmeaning; so getting up very early, he left the city as soon as the\ngates were open,[243] and though, from the number of passers-by, he\nnever expected to find his money again, he went on until he reached\nthe spot where he had got off his mule the day before. There he saw\nhis dog lying dead upon the ground, its hair having apparently been\nwetted through with perspiration;[244] and, lifting up the body by one\nof its ears, he found his lost silver. Full of gratitude, he bought a\ncoffin and buried the dead animal; and the people now call the place\nthe Grave of the Faithful Dog.\n\n\nFOOTNOTES:\n\n[242] In an entry on torture (see No. LXXIII., note 62), which occurs\nin my _Glossary of Reference_, I made the following statement:--\u201cThe\nreal tortures of a Chinese prison are the filthy dens in which the\nunfortunate victims are confined, the stench in which they have to\ndraw breath, the fetters and manacles by which they are secured, the\nabsolute insufficiency even of the disgusting rations doled out to\nthem, and above all the mental agony which must ensue in a country\nwith no _Habeas corpus_ to protect the lives and fortunes of its\ncitizens.\u201d\n\n[243] For a small bribe, the soldiers at the gates of a Chinese city\nwill usually pass people in and out by means of a ladder placed\nagainst the wall at some convenient spot.\n\n[244] I believe it is with us only a recently determined fact that\ndogs perspire through the skin.\n\n\n\n\nCXXVIII.\n\nAN EARTHQUAKE.\n\n\nIn 1668 there was a very severe earthquake.[245] I myself was staying\nat Chi-hsia, and happened to be that night sitting over a kettle of\nwine with my cousin Li Tu. All of a sudden we heard a noise like\nthunder, travelling from the south-east in a north-westerly direction.\nWe were much astonished at this, and quite unable to account for the\nnoise; in another moment the table began to rock, and the wine-cups\nwere upset; the beams and supports of the house snapped here and there\nwith a crash, and we looked at each other in fear and trembling.\nBy-and-by we knew that it was an earthquake; and, rushing out, we saw\nhouses and other buildings, as it were, fall down and get up again;\nand, amidst the sounds of crushing walls, we heard the shrieks of\nwomen and children, the whole mass being like a great seething\ncauldron. Men were giddy and could not stand, but rolled about on the\nground; the river overflowed its banks; cocks crowed, and dogs barked\nfrom one end of the city to the other. In a little while the quaking\nbegan to subside; and then might be seen men and women running half\nnaked about the streets, all anxious to tell their own experiences,\nand forgetting that they had on little or no clothing. I subsequently\nheard that a well was closed up and rendered useless by this\nearthquake; that a house was turned completely round, so as to face\nthe opposite direction; that the Chi-hsia hill was riven open, and\nthat the waters of the I river flowed in and made a lake of an acre\nand more. Truly such an earthquake as this is of rare occurrence.\n\n\nFOOTNOTE:\n\n[245] The exact date is given,--the 17th of the 6th moon, which would\nprobably fall towards the end of June.\n\n\n\n\nCXXIX.\n\nMAKING ANIMALS.\n\n\nThe tricks for bewitching people are many. Sometimes drugs are put in\ntheir food, and when they eat they become dazed, and follow the person\nwho has bewitched them. This is commonly called _ta hs\u00fc pa_; in\nKiang-nan it is known as _ch\u2018\u00ea hs\u00fc_. Little children are most\nfrequently bewitched in this way. There is also what is called \u201cmaking\nanimals,\u201d which is better known on the south side of the River.[246]\n\nOne day a man arrived at an inn in Yang-chow, leading with him five\ndonkeys. Tying them up near the stable, he told the landlord he would\nbe back in a few minutes, and bade him give his donkeys no water. He\nhad not been gone long before the donkeys, which were standing out in\nthe glare of the sun, began to kick about, and make a noise; whereupon\nthe landlord untied them, and was going to put them in the shade, when\nsuddenly they espied water, and made a rush to get at it. So the\nlandlord let them drink; and no sooner had the water touched their\nlips than they rolled on the ground, and changed into women. In great\nastonishment, the landlord asked them whence they came; but their\ntongues were tied, and they could not answer, so he hid them in his\nprivate apartments, and at that moment their owner returned, bringing\nwith him five sheep. The latter immediately asked the landlord where\nhis donkeys were; to which the landlord replied by offering him some\nwine, saying, the donkeys would be brought to him directly. He then\nwent out and gave the sheep some water, on drinking which they were\nall changed into boys. Accordingly, he communicated with the\nauthorities, and the stranger was arrested and forthwith beheaded.\n\n\nFOOTNOTE:\n\n[246] See No. XCVIII., note 159.\n\n\n\n\nCXXX.\n\nCRUELTY AVENGED.\n\n\nA certain magistrate caused a petty oil-vendor, who was brought before\nhim for some trifling misdemeanour, and whose statements were very\nconfused, to be bambooed to death. The former subsequently rose to\nhigh rank; and having amassed considerable wealth, set about building\nhimself a fine house. On the day when the great beam was to be fixed\nin its place,[247] among the friends and relatives who arrived to\noffer their congratulations, he was horrified to see the oilman walk\nin. At the same instant one of the servants came rushing up to\nannounce to him the birth of a son; whereupon, he mournfully remarked,\n\u201cThe house not yet finished, and its destroyer already here.\u201d The\nbystanders thought he was joking, for they had not seen what he had\nseen.[248] However, when that boy grew up, by his frivolity and\nextravagance he quite ruined his father. He was finally obliged\nhimself to go into service; and spent all his earnings in oil, which\nhe swallowed in large quantities.\n\n\nFOOTNOTES:\n\n[247] This corresponds to our ceremony of laying the foundation stone,\nexcept that one commemorates the beginning, the other the completion,\nof a new building.\n\n[248] That is, the disembodied spirit of the oilman.\n\n\n\n\nCXXXI.\n\nTHE WEI-CH\u2018I DEVIL.\n\n\nA certain general, who had resigned his command, and had retired to\nhis own home, was very fond of roaming about and amusing himself with\nwine and _wei-ch\u2018i_.[249] One day--it was the 9th of the 9th moon,\nwhen everybody goes up high[250]--as he was playing with some friends,\na stranger walked up, and watched the game intently for some time\nwithout going away. He was a miserable-looking creature, with a very\nragged coat, but nevertheless possessed of a refined and courteous\nair. The general begged him to be seated, an offer which he accepted,\nbeing all the time extremely deferential in his manner. \u201cI suppose you\nare pretty good at this,\u201d said the general, pointing to the board;\n\u201ctry a bout with one of my friends here.\u201d The stranger made a great\nmany apologies in reply, but finally accepted, and played a game in\nwhich, apparently to his great disappointment, he was beaten. He\nplayed another with the same result; and now, refusing all offers of\nwine, he seemed to think of nothing but how to get some one to play\nwith him. Thus he went on until the afternoon was well advanced; when\nsuddenly, just as he was in the middle of a most exciting game, which\ndepended on a single place, he rushed forward, and throwing himself at\nthe feet of the general, loudly implored his protection. The general\ndid not know what to make of this; however, he raised him up, and\nsaid, \u201cIt\u2019s only a game: why get so excited?\u201d To this the stranger\nreplied by begging the general not to let his gardener seize him; and\nwhen the general asked what gardener he meant, he said the man\u2019s name\nwas Ma-ch\u2018\u00eang. Now this Ma-ch\u2018\u00eang was often employed as a lictor by\nthe Ruler of Purgatory, and would sometimes remain away as much as ten\ndays, serving the warrants of death; accordingly, the general sent off\nto inquire about him, and found that he had been in a trance for two\ndays.[251] His master cried out that he had better not behave rudely\nto his guest, but at that very moment the stranger sunk down to the\nground, and was gone. The general was lost in astonishment; however,\nhe now knew that the man was a disembodied spirit, and on the next\nday, when Ma-ch\u2018\u00eang came round, he asked him for full particulars.\n\u201cThe gentleman was a native of Hu-hsiang,\u201d replied the gardener, \u201cwho\nwas passionately addicted to _wei-ch\u2018i_, and had lost a great deal of\nmoney by it. His father, being much grieved at his behaviour, confined\nhim to the house; but he was always getting out, and indulging the\nfatal passion, and at last his father died of a broken heart. In\nconsequence of this, the Ruler of Purgatory curtailed his term of\nlife, and condemned him to become a hungry devil,[252] in which state\nhe has already passed seven years. And now that the Ph\u0153nix Tower[253]\nis completed, an order has been issued for the literati to present\nthemselves, and compose an inscription to be cut on stone, as a\nmemorial thereof, by which means they would secure their own salvation\nas a reward. Many of the shades failing to arrive at the appointed\ntime, God was very angry with the Ruler of Purgatory, and the latter\nsent off me, and others who are employed in the same way, to hunt up\nthe defaulters. But as you, Sir, bade me treat the gentleman with\nrespect, I did not venture to bind him.\u201d The general inquired what\nhad become of the stranger; to which the gardener replied, \u201cHe is now\na mere menial in Purgatory, and can never be born again.\u201d \u201cAlas!\u201d\ncried his master, \u201cthus it is that men are ruined by any inordinate\npassion.\u201d[254]\n\n\nFOOTNOTES:\n\n[249] A most abstruse and complicated game of skill, for which the\nChinese claim an antiquity of four thousand years, and which I was the\nfirst to introduce to a European public through an article in _Temple\nBar Magazine_ for January, 1877. _Apropos_ of which, an accomplished\nAmerican lady, Miss A. M. Fielde, of Swatow, wrote as follows:--\u201cThe\ngame seems to me the peer of chess.... It is a game for the slow,\npersistent, astute, multitudinous Chinese; while chess, by the\npicturesque appearance of the board, the variety and prominent\nindividuality of the men, and the erratic combination of the\nattack,--is for the Anglo-Saxon.\u201d\n\n[250] On this day, annually dedicated to kite-flying, picnics, and\ngood cheer, everybody tries to get up to as great an elevation as\npossible, in the hope, as some say, of thereby prolonging life. It was\nthis day--4th October, 1878--which was fixed for the total\nextermination of foreigners in Foochow.\n\n[251] See No. XXVI., note 180.\n\n[252] One of the _pr\u00eatas_, or the fourth of the six paths (g\u00e2ti) of\nexistence; the other five being (1) angels, (2) men, (3) demons, (5)\nbrute beasts, and (6) sinners in hell. The term is often used\ncolloquially for a self-invited guest.\n\n[253] An imaginary building in the Infernal Regions.\n\n[254] Mencius reckoned \u201cto play _wei-ch\u2018i_ for money\u201d among the five\nunfilial acts.\n\n\n\n\nCXXXII.\n\nTHE FORTUNE-HUNTER PUNISHED.\n\n\nA certain man\u2019s uncle had no children, and the nephew, with an eye to\nhis uncle\u2019s property, volunteered to become his adopted son.[255] When\nthe uncle died all the property passed accordingly to his nephew, who\nthereupon broke faith as to his part of the contract.[256] He did the\nsame with another uncle, and thus united three properties in his own\nperson, whereby he became the richest man of the neighbourhood.\nSuddenly he fell ill, and seemed to go out of his mind; for he cried\nout, \u201cSo you wish to live in wealth, do you?\u201d and immediately seizing\na sharp knife, he began hacking away at his own body until he had\nstrewed the floor with pieces of flesh. He then exclaimed, \u201cYou cut\noff other people\u2019s posterity and expect to have posterity yourself, do\nyou?\u201d and forthwith he ripped himself open and died. Shortly\nafterwards his son, too, died, and the property fell into the hands of\nstrangers. Is not this a retribution to be dreaded?\n\n\nFOOTNOTES:\n\n[255] See No. LV., note 310; and No. XCIV., note 137.\n\n[256] That is, in carrying out the obligations he had entered into,\nsuch as conducting the ceremonies of ancestral worship, repairing the\nfamily tombs, &c.\n\n\n\n\nCXXXIII.\n\nLIFE PROLONGED.\n\n\nA certain cloth merchant of Ch\u2018ang-ch\u2018ing was stopping at T\u2018ai-ngan,\nwhen he heard of a magician who was said to be very skilled in casting\nnativities. So he went off at once to consult him; but the magician\nwould not undertake the task, saying, \u201cYour destiny is bad: you had\nbetter hurry home.\u201d At this the merchant was dreadfully frightened,\nand, packing up his wares, set off towards Ch\u2018ang-ch\u2018ing. On the way\nhe fell in with a man in short clothes,[257] like a constable; and the\ntwo soon struck up a friendly intimacy, taking their meals together.\nBy-and-by the merchant asked the stranger what his business was; and\nthe latter told him he was going to Ch\u2018ang-ch\u2018ing to serve summonses,\nproducing at the same time a document and showing it to the merchant,\nwho, on looking closely, saw a list of names, at the head of which\nwas his own. In great astonishment he inquired what he had done that\nhe should be arrested thus; to which his companion replied, \u201cI am not\na living being: I am a lictor in the employ of the infernal\nauthorities, and I presume your term of life has expired.\u201d The\nmerchant burst into tears and implored the lictor to spare him, which\nthe latter declared was impossible; \u201cBut,\u201d added he, \u201cthere are a\ngreat many names down, and it will take me some time to get through\nthem: you go off home and settle up your affairs, and, as a slight\nreturn for your friendship, I\u2019ll call for you last.\u201d A few minutes\nafterwards they reached a stream where the bridge was in ruins, and\npeople could only cross with great difficulty; at which the lictor\nremarked, \u201cYou are now on the road to death, and not a single cash can\nyou carry away with you. Repair this bridge and benefit the public;\nand thus from a great outlay you may possibly yourself derive some\nsmall advantage.\u201d The merchant said he would do so; and when he got\nhome, he bade his wife and children prepare for his coming\ndissolution, and at the same time set men to work and made the bridge\nsound and strong again. Some time elapsed, but no lictor arrived; and\nhis suspicions began to be aroused, when one day the latter walked in\nand said, \u201cI reported that affair of the bridge to the Municipal\nGod,[258] who communicated it to the Ruler of Purgatory; and for that\ngood act your span of life has been lengthened, and your name struck\nout of the list. I have now come to announce this to you.\u201d The\nmerchant was profuse in his thanks; and the next time he went to\nT\u2018ai-ngan, he burnt a quantity of paper ingots,[259] and made\nofferings and libations to the lictor, out of gratitude for what he\nhad done. Suddenly the lictor himself appeared, and cried out, \u201cDo you\nwish to ruin me? Happily my new master has only just taken up his\npost, and he has not noticed this, or where should I be?\u201d[260] The\nlictor then escorted the merchant some distance; and, at parting, bade\nhim never return by that road, but, if he had any business at\nT\u2018ai-ngan, to go thither by a roundabout way.\n\n\nFOOTNOTES:\n\n[257] The long flowing robe is a sign of respectability which all but\nthe very poorest classes love to affect in public. At the port of\nHaiphong, _shoes_ are the criterion of social standing; but, as a\nrule, the well-to-do native merchants prefer to go barefoot rather\nthan give the authorities a chance of exacting heavier squeezes, on\nthe strength of such a palpable acknowledgment of wealth.\n\n[258] See No. I., note 36.\n\n[259] See No. LVI., note 317; and No. XCVII., note 150.\n\n[260] The lictor had no right to divulge his errand when he first met\nthe cloth merchant, or to remove the latter\u2019s name from the top to the\nbottom of the list.\n\n\n\n\nCXXXIV.\n\nTHE CLAY IMAGE.\n\n\nOn the river I there lived a man named Ma, who married a wife from the\nWang family, with whom he was very happy in his domestic life. Ma,\nhowever, died young; and his wife\u2019s parents were unwilling that their\ndaughter should remain a widow, but she resisted all their\nimportunities, and declared firmly she would never marry again. \u201cIt is\na noble resolve of yours, I allow,\u201d argued her mother; \u201cbut you are\nstill a mere girl, and you have no children. Besides, I notice that\npeople who start with such rigid determinations always end by doing\nsomething discreditable, and therefore you had better get married as\nsoon as you can, which is no more than is done every day.\u201d The girl\nswore she would rather die than consent, and accordingly her mother\nhad no alternative but to let her alone. She then ordered a clay image\nto be made, exactly resembling her late husband;[261] and whenever she\ntook her own meals, she would set meat and wine before it, precisely\nas if her husband had been there. One night she was on the point of\nretiring to rest, when suddenly she saw the clay image stretch itself\nand step down from the table, increasing all the while in height,\nuntil it was as tall as a man, and neither more nor less than her own\nhusband. In great alarm she called out to her mother, but the image\nstopped her, saying, \u201cDon\u2019t do that! I am but shewing my gratitude for\nyour affectionate care of me, and it is chill and uncomfortable in the\nrealms below. Such devotion as yours casts its light back on\ngenerations gone by; and now I, who was cut off in my prime because my\nfather did evil, and was condemned to be without an heir, have been\npermitted, in consequence of your virtuous conduct, to visit you once\nagain, that our ancestral line may yet remain unbroken.\u201d[262] Every\nmorning at cock-crow her husband resumed his usual form and size as\nthe clay image; and after a time he told her that their hour of\nseparation had come, upon which husband and wife bade each other an\neternal farewell. By-and-by the widow, to the great astonishment of\nher mother, bore a son, which caused no small amusement among the\nneighbours who heard the story; and, as the girl herself had no proof\nof what she stated to be the case, a certain beadle[263] of the place,\nwho had an old grudge against her husband, went off and informed the\nmagistrate of what had occurred. After some investigation, the\nmagistrate exclaimed, \u201cI have heard that the children of disembodied\nspirits have no shadow; and that those who have shadows are not\ngenuine.\u201d Thereupon they took Ma\u2019s child into the sunshine, and lo!\nthere was but a very faint shadow, like a thin vapour. The magistrate\nthen drew blood from the child, and smeared it on the clay image; upon\nwhich the blood at once soaked in and left no stain. Another clay\nimage being produced and the same experiment tried, the blood remained\non the surface so that it could be wiped away.[264] The girl\u2019s story\nwas thus acknowledged to be true; and when the child grew up, and in\nevery feature was the counterpart of Ma, there was no longer any room\nfor suspicion.\n\n\nFOOTNOTES:\n\n[261] The clay image makers of Tientsin are wonderfully clever in\ntaking likenesses by these means. Some of the most skilful will even\nmanipulate the clay behind their backs, and then, adding the proper\ncolours, will succeed in producing an exceedingly good resemblance.\nThey find, however, more difficulty with foreign faces, to which they\nare less accustomed in the trade.\n\n[262] See No. LXI., note 346.\n\n[263] See No. LXIV., note 18.\n\n[264] Such is the officially authorised method of determining a\ndoubtful relationship between a dead parent and a living child,\nsubstituting a bone for the clay image here mentioned.\n\n\n\n\nCXXXV.\n\nDISHONESTY PUNISHED.\n\n\nAt Chiao-chou there lived a man named Liu Hsi-ch\u2018uan, who was steward\nto His excellency Mr. Fa. When already over forty a son was born to\nhim, whom he loved very dearly, and quite spoilt by always letting him\nhave his own way. When the boy grew up he led a dissolute, extravagant\nlife, and ran through all his father\u2019s property. By-and-by he fell\nsick, and then he declared that nothing would cure him but a slice off\na fat old favourite mule they had; upon which his father had another\nand more worthless animal killed; but his son found out he was being\ntricked, and, after abusing his father soundly, his symptoms became\nmore and more alarming. The mule was accordingly killed, and some of\nit was served up to the sick man; however, he only just tasted it and\nsent the rest away. From that time he got gradually worse and worse,\nand finally died, to the great grief of his father, who would gladly\nhave died too. Three or four years afterwards, as some of the\nvillagers were worshipping on Mount Tai, they saw a man riding on a\nmule, the very image of Mr. Liu\u2019s dead son; and, on approaching more\nclosely, they saw that it was actually he.[265] Jumping from his\nmule,[266] he made them a salutation, and then they began to chat with\nhim on various subjects, always carefully avoiding that one of his own\ndeath. They asked him what he was doing there; to which he replied\nthat he was only roaming about, and inquired of them in his turn at\nwhat inn they were staying; \u201cFor,\u201d added he, \u201cI have an engagement\njust now, but I will visit you to-morrow.\u201d So they told him the name\nof the inn, and took their leave, not expecting to see him again.\nHowever, the next day he came, and, tying his mule to a post outside,\nwent in to see them. \u201cYour father,\u201d observed one of the villagers, \u201cis\nalways thinking about you. Why do you not go and pay him a visit?\u201d The\nyoung man asked to whom he was alluding; and, at the mention of his\nfather\u2019s name, he changed colour and said, \u201cIf he is anxious to see\nme, kindly tell him that on the 7th of the 4th moon I will await him\nhere.\u201d He then went away, and the villagers returned and told Mr. Liu\nall that had taken place. At the appointed time the latter was very\ndesirous of going to see his son; but his master dissuaded him, saying\nthat he thought from what he knew of his son that the interview might\npossibly not turn out as he would desire; \u201cAlthough,\u201d added he, \u201cif\nyou are bent upon going, I should be sorry to stand in your way. Let\nme, however, counsel you to conceal yourself in a cupboard, and thus,\nby observing what takes place, you will know better how to act, and\navoid running into any danger.\u201d This he accordingly did, and, when his\nson came, Mr. Fa received him at the inn as before. \u201cWhere\u2019s Mr. Liu?\u201d\ncried the son. \u201cOh, he hasn\u2019t come,\u201d replied Mr. Fa. \u201cThe old beast!\nWhat does he mean by that?\u201d exclaimed his son; whereupon Mr. Fa asked\nhim what _he_ meant by cursing his own father. \u201cMy father!\u201d shrieked\nthe son; \u201cwhy he\u2019s nothing more to me than a former rascally partner\nin trade, who cheated me out of all my money, and for which I have\nsince avenged myself on him.[267] What sort of a father is that, I\nshould like to know?\u201d He then went out of the door; and his father\ncrept out of the cupboard from which, with the perspiration streaming\ndown him and hardly daring to breathe, he had heard all that had\npassed, and sorrowfully wended his way home again.\n\n\nFOOTNOTES:\n\n[265] \u201cIn various savage superstitions the minute resemblance of soul\nto body is forcibly stated.\u201d--_Myths and Myth-makers_, by John Fiske,\np. 228.\n\n[266] An important point in Chinese etiquette. It is not considered\npolite for a person in a sitting position to address an equal who is\nstanding.\n\n[267] By becoming his son and behaving badly to him. See No. CX., note\n190, and the text to which it refers.\n\n\n\n\nCXXXVI.\n\nTHE MAD PRIEST.\n\n\nA certain mad priest, whose name I do not know, lived in a temple on\nthe hills. He would sing and cry by turns, without any apparent\nreason; and once somebody saw him boiling a stone for his dinner. At\nthe autumn festival of the 9th day of the 9th moon,[268] an official\nof the district went up in that direction for the usual picnic, taking\nwith him his chair and his red umbrellas. After luncheon he was\npassing by the temple, and had hardly reached the door, when out\nrushed the priest, barefooted and ragged, and himself opening a yellow\numbrella, cried out as the attendants of a mandarin do when ordering\nthe people to stand back. He then approached the official, and made as\nthough he were jesting at him; at which the latter was extremely\nindignant, and bade his servants drive the priest away. The priest\nmoved off with the servants after him, and in another moment had\nthrown down his yellow umbrella, which split into a number of pieces,\neach piece changing immediately into a falcon, and flying about in all\ndirections. The umbrella handle became a huge serpent, with red\nscales and glaring eyes; and then the party would have turned and\nfled, but that one of them declared it was only an optical delusion,\nand that the creature couldn\u2019t do any hurt. The speaker accordingly\nseized a knife and rushed at the serpent, which forthwith opened its\nmouth and swallowed its assailant whole. In a terrible fright the\nservants crowded round their master and hurried him away, not stopping\nto draw breath until they were fully a mile off. By-and-by several of\nthem stealthily returned to see what was going on; and, on entering\nthe temple, they found that both priest and serpent had disappeared.\nBut from an old ash-tree hard by they heard a sound proceeding,--a\nsound, as it were, of a donkey panting; and at first they were afraid\nto go near, though after a while they ventured to peep through a hole\nin the tree, which was an old hollow trunk; and there, jammed hard and\nfast with his head downwards, was the rash assailant of the serpent.\nIt being quite impossible to drag him out, they began at once to cut\nthe tree away; but by the time they had set him free he was already\nperfectly unconscious. However, he ultimately came round and was\ncarried home; but from this day the priest was never seen again.[269]\n\n\nFOOTNOTES:\n\n[268] See No. CXXXI., note 250.\n\n[269] The story is intended as a satire on those puffed-up dignitaries\nwho cannot even go to a picnic without all the retinue belonging to\ntheir particular rank. See No. LVI., note 315.\n\n\n\n\nCXXXVII.\n\nFEASTING THE RULER OF PURGATORY.\n\n\nAt Ching-hai there lived a young man, named Shao, whose family was\nvery poor. On the occasion of his mother completing her cycle,[270] he\narranged a quantity of meat-offerings and wine on a table in the\ncourt-yard, and proceeded to invoke the Gods in the usual manner; but\nwhen he rose from his knees, lo and behold! all the meat and wine had\ndisappeared. His mother thought this was a bad omen, and that she was\nnot destined to enjoy a long life; however, she said nothing on the\nsubject to her son, who was himself quite at a loss to account for\nwhat had happened. A short time afterwards the Literary\nChancellor[271] arrived; and young Chao, scraping together what funds\nhe could, went off to present himself as a candidate. On the road he\nmet with a man who gave him such a cordial invitation to his house\nthat he willingly accepted; and the stranger led him to a stately\nmansion, with towers and terraces rising one above the other as far\nas the eye could reach. In one of the apartments was a king, sitting\nupon a throne, who received Shao in a very friendly manner; and, after\nregaling him with an excellent banquet, said, \u201cI have to thank you for\nthe food and drink you gave my servants that day we passed your\nhouse.\u201d Shao was greatly astonished at this remark, when the King\nproceeded, \u201cI am the Ruler of Purgatory. Don\u2019t you recollect\nsacrificing on your mother\u2019s birthday?\u201d The King then bestowed on Shao\na packet of silver, saying, \u201cPray accept this in return for your\nkindness.\u201d Shao thanked him and retired; and in another moment the\npalace and its occupants had one and all vanished from his sight,\nleaving him alone in the midst of some tall trees. On opening his\npacket he found it to contain five ounces of pure gold; and, after\ndefraying the expenses of his examination, half was still left, which\nhe carried home and gave to his mother.\n\n\nFOOTNOTES:\n\n[270] See No. XXIII., note 152.\n\n[271] The examiner for the bachelor\u2019s, or lowest, degree.\n\n\n\n\nCXXXVIII.\n\nTHE PICTURE HORSE.\n\n\nA certain Mr. Ts\u2018ui, of Lin-ch\u2018ing, was too poor to keep his garden\nwalls in repair, and used often to find a strange horse lying down on\nthe grass inside. It was a black horse marked with white, and having a\nscrubby tail, which looked as if the end had been burnt off;[272] and,\nthough always driven away, would still return to the same spot. Now\nMr. Ts\u2018ui had a friend, who was holding an appointment in Shansi; and\nthough he had frequently felt desirous of paying him a visit, he had\nno means of travelling so far. Accordingly, he one day caught the\nstrange horse and, putting a saddle on its back, rode away, telling\nhis servant that if the owner of the horse should appear, he was to\ninform him where the animal was to be found. The horse started off at\na very rapid pace, and, in a short time, they were thirty or forty\nmiles from home; but at night it did not seem to care for its food, so\nthe next day Mr. Ts\u2018ui, who thought perhaps illness might be the\ncause, held the horse in, and would not let it gallop so fast.\nHowever, the animal did not seem to approve of this, and kicked and\nfoamed until at length Mr. Ts\u2018ui let it go at the same old pace; and\nby mid-day he had reached his destination. As he rode into the town,\nthe people were astonished to hear of the marvellous journey just\naccomplished, and the Prince[273] sent to say he should like to buy\nthe horse. Mr. Ts\u2018ui, fearing that the real owner might come forward,\nwas compelled to refuse this offer; but when, after six months had\nelapsed, no inquiries had been made, he agreed to accept eight hundred\nounces of silver, and handed over the horse to the Prince. He then\nbought himself a good mule, and returned home. Subsequently, the\nPrince had occasion to use the horse for some important business at\nLin-ch\u2018ing; and when there it took the opportunity to run away. The\nofficer in charge pursued it right up to the house of a Mr. Ts\u00eang, who\nlived next door to Mr. Ts\u2018ui, and saw it run in and disappear.\nThereupon he called upon Mr. Ts\u00eang to restore it to him; and, on the\nlatter declaring he had never even seen the animal, the officer walked\ninto his private apartments, where he found, hanging on the wall, a\npicture of a horse, by Tz\u016d-ang,[274] exactly like the one he was in\nsearch of, and with part of the tail burnt away by a joss-stick. It\nwas now clear that the Prince\u2019s horse was a supernatural creature; but\nthe officer, being afraid to go back without it, would have\nprosecuted Mr. Ts\u00eang, had not Ts\u2018ui, whose eight hundred ounces of\nsilver had since increased to something like ten thousand, stepped in\nand paid back the original purchase-money. Mr. Ts\u00eang was exceedingly\ngrateful to him for this act of kindness, ignorant, as he was, of the\nprevious sale of the horse by Ts\u2018ui to the Prince.\n\n\nFOOTNOTES:\n\n[272] The Chinese never cut the tails of their horses or mules.\n\n[273] One of the feudal Governors of by-gone days.\n\n[274] A Chinese Landseer.\n\n\n\n\nCXXXIX.\n\nTHE BUTTERFLY\u2019S REVENGE.\n\n\nMr. Wang, of Ch\u2018ang-shan, was in the habit, when a District\nMagistrate, of commuting the fines and penalties of the Penal Code,\ninflicted on the various prisoners, for a corresponding number of\nbutterflies. These he would let go all at once in the court, rejoicing\nto see them fluttering hither and thither, like so many tinsel\nsnippings borne about by the breeze. One night he dreamt that a young\nlady, dressed in gay-coloured clothes, appeared to him and said, \u201cYour\ncruel practice has brought many of my sisters to an untimely end, and\nnow you shall pay the penalty of thus gratifying your tastes.\u201d The\nyoung lady then changed into a butterfly and flew away. Next day, the\nmagistrate was sitting alone, over a cup of wine, when it was\nannounced to him that the censor was at the door; and out he ran at\nonce to receive His Excellency, with a white flower, that some of his\nwomen had put in his official hat, still sticking there. His\nExcellency was very angry at what he deemed a piece of disrespect to\nhimself; and, after severely censuring Mr. Wang, turned round and went\naway. Thenceforward no more penalties were commuted for butterflies.\n\n\n\n\nCXL.\n\nTHE DOCTOR.\n\n\nA certain poor man, named Chang, who lived at I, fell in one day with\na Taoist priest. The latter was highly skilled in the science of\nphysiognomy;[275] and, after looking at Chang\u2019s features, said to him,\n\u201cYou would make your fortune as a doctor.\u201d \u201cAlas!\u201d replied Chang, \u201cI\ncan barely read and write; how then could I follow such a calling as\nthat?\u201d \u201cAnd where, you simple fellow,\u201d asked the priest, \u201cis the\nnecessity for a doctor to be a scholar? You just try, that\u2019s all.\u201d\nThereupon Chang returned home; and, being very poor, he simply\ncollected a few of the commonest prescriptions, and set up a small\nstall with a handful of fishes\u2019 teeth and some dry honeycomb from a\nwasp\u2019s nest,[276] hoping thus to earn, by his tongue, enough to keep\nbody and soul together, to which, however, no one paid any particular\nattention. Now it chanced that just then the Governor of Ch\u2018ing-chou\nwas suffering from a bad cough, and had given orders to his\nsubordinates to send to him the most skilful doctors in their\nrespective districts; and the magistrate of I, which was an\nout-of-the-way mountainous district, being unable to lay his hands on\nany one whom he could send in, gave orders to the beadle[277] to do\nthe best he could under the circumstances. Accordingly, Chang was\nnominated by the people, and the magistrate put his name down to go in\nto the Governor. When Chang heard of his appointment, he happened to\nbe suffering himself from a bad attack of bronchitis, which he was\nquite unable to cure, and he begged, therefore, to be excused; but the\nmagistrate would not hear of this, and forwarded him at once in charge\nof some constables. While crossing the hills, he became very thirsty,\nand went into a village to ask for a drink of water; but water there\nwas worth its weight in jade, and no one would give him any. By-and-by\nhe saw an old woman washing a quantity of vegetables in a scanty\nsupply of water which was, consequently, very thick and muddy; and,\nbeing unable to bear his thirst any longer, he obtained this and drank\nit up. Shortly afterwards he found that his cough was quite cured, and\nthen it occurred to him that he had hit upon a capital remedy. When he\nreached the city, he learned that a great many doctors had already\ntried their hand upon the patient, but without success; so asking for\na private room in which to prepare his medicines, he obtained from the\ntown some bunches of bishop-wort, and proceeded to wash them as the\nold woman had done. He then took the dirty water, and gave a dose of\nit to the Governor, who was immediately and permanently relieved. The\npatient was overjoyed; and, besides making Chang a handsome present,\ngave him a certificate written in golden characters, in consequence of\nwhich his fame spread far and wide;[278] and of the numerous cases he\nsubsequently undertook, in not a single instance did he fail to effect\na cure. One day, however, a patient came to him, complaining of a\nviolent chill; and Chang, who happened to be tipsy at the time,\ntreated him by mistake for remittent fever. When he got sober, he\nbecame aware of what he had done; but he said nothing to anybody about\nit, and three days afterwards the same patient waited upon him with\nall kinds of presents to thank him for a rapid recovery. Such cases as\nthis were by no means rare with him; and soon he got so rich that he\nwould not attend when summoned to visit a sick person, unless the\nsummons was accompanied by a heavy fee and a comfortable chair to ride\nin.[279]\n\n\nFOOTNOTES:\n\n[275] Advertisements of these professors of physiognomy are to be seen\nin every Chinese city.\n\n[276] In order to make some show for the public eye.\n\n[277] See No. LXIV., note 18.\n\n[278] A doctor of any repute generally has large numbers of such\ncertificates, generally engraved on wood, hanging before and about his\nfront door. When I was stationed at Swatow, the writer at Her\nMajesty\u2019s Consulate presented one to Dr. E. J. Scott, the resident\nmedical practitioner, who had cured him of opium smoking. It bore two\nprincipal characters, \u201cMiraculous Indeed!\u201d accompanied by a few\nremarks, in a smaller sized character, laudatory of Dr. Scott\u2019s\nprofessional skill. Banners, with graceful inscriptions written upon\nthem, are frequently presented by Chinese passengers to the captains\nof coasting steamers who may have brought them safely through bad\nweather.\n\n[279] The story is intended as a satire upon Chinese doctors\ngenerally, whose ranks are recruited from the swarms of half-educated\ncandidates who have been rejected at the great competitive\nexaminations, medical diplomas being quite unknown in China. Doctors\u2019\nfees are, by a pleasant fiction, called \u201chorse-money;\u201d and all\nprescriptions are made up by the local apothecary, never by the\nphysician himself.\n\n\n\n\nCXLI.\n\nSNOW IN SUMMER.\n\n\nOn the 6th day of the 7th moon[280] of the year Ting-Hai (1647) there\nwas a heavy fall of snow at Soochow. The people were in a great state\nof consternation at this, and went off to the temple of the Great\nPrince[281] to pray. Then the spirit moved one of them to say, \u201cYou\nnow address me as _Your Honour_. Make it _Your Excellency_, and,\nthough I am but a lesser deity, it may be well worth your while to do\nso.\u201d Thereupon the people began to use the latter term, and the snow\nstopped at once; from which I infer that flattery is just as pleasant\nto divine as to mortal ears.[282]\n\n\nFOOTNOTES:\n\n[280] This would be exactly at the hottest season.\n\n[281] The _Jupiter Pluvius_ of the neighbourhood.\n\n[282] A sneer at the superstitious custom of praying for good or bad\nweather, which obtains in China from the Son of Heaven himself down to\nthe lowest agriculturist whose interests are involved. Droughts,\nfloods, famines, and pestilences, are alike set down to the anger of\nHeaven, to be appeased only by prayer and repentance.\n\n\n\n\nCXLII.\n\nPLANCHETTE.[283]\n\n\nAt Ch\u2018ang-shan there lived a man, named Wang Jui-t\u2018ing, who understood\nthe art of planchette. He called himself a disciple of L\u00fc\nTung-pin,[284] and some one said he was probably that worthy\u2019s crane.\nAt his _s\u00e9ances_ the subjects were always literary--essays, poetry,\nand so on. The well-known scholar, Li Chih, thought very highly of\nhim, and availed himself of his aid on more than one occasion; so that\nby degrees the literati generally also patronized him. His responses\nto questions of doubt or difficulty were remarkable for their\nreasonableness; matters of mere good or bad fortune he did not care to\nenter into. In 1631, just after the examination at Chi-nan, a number\nof the candidates requested Mr. Wang to tell them how they would stand\non the list; and, after having examined their essays, he proceeded to\npass his opinion on their merits.[285] Among the rest there happened\nto be one who was very intimate with another candidate, not present,\nwhose name was Li Pien; and who, being an enthusiastic student and a\ndeep thinker, was confidently expected to appear among the successful\nfew. Accordingly, the friend submitted Mr. Li\u2019s essay for inspection;\nand in a few minutes two characters appeared on the sand--namely,\n\u201cNumber one.\u201d After a short interval this sentence followed:--\u201cThe\ndecision given just now had reference to Mr. Li\u2019s essay simply as an\nessay. Mr. Li\u2019s destiny is darkly obscured, and he will suffer\naccordingly. It is strange, indeed, that a man\u2019s literary powers and\nhis destiny should thus be out of harmony.[286] Surely the Examiner\nwill judge of him by his essay;--but stay: I will go and see how\nmatters stand.\u201d Another pause ensued, and then these words were\nwritten down:--\u201cI have been over to the Examiner\u2019s yam\u00ean, and have\nfound a pretty state of things going on; instead of reading the\ncandidates\u2019 papers himself, he has handed them over to his clerks,\nsome half-dozen illiterate fellows who purchased their own degrees,\nand who, in their previous existence, had no status whatever,--\u2018hungry\ndevils\u2019[287] begging their bread in all directions; and who, after\neight hundred years passed in the murky gloom of the infernal regions,\nhave lost all discrimination, like men long buried in a cave and\nsuddenly transferred to the light of day. Among them may be one or two\nwho have risen above their former selves, but the odds are against an\nessay falling into the hands of one of these.\u201d The young men then\nbegged to know if there was any method by which such an evil might be\ncounteracted; to which the planchette replied that there was, but, as\nit was universally understood, there was no occasion for asking the\nquestion. Thereupon they went off and told Mr. Li, who was so much\ndistressed at the prediction that he submitted his essay to His\nExcellency Sun Tz\u016d-mei, one of the finest scholars of the day. This\ngentleman examined it, and was so pleased with its literary merit that\nhe told Li he was quite sure to pass, and the latter thought no more\nabout the planchette prophecy. However, when the list came out, there\nhe was down in the fourth class; and this so much disconcerted His\nExcellency Mr. Sun, that he went carefully through the essay again for\nfear lest any blemishes might have escaped his attention. Then he\ncried out, \u201cWell, I have always thought this Examiner to be a scholar;\nhe can never have made such a mistake as this; it must be the fault of\nsome of his drunken assistants, who don\u2019t know the mere rudiments of\ncomposition.\u201d This fulfilment of the prophecy raised Mr. Wang very\nhigh in the estimation of the candidates, who forthwith went and\nburned incense and invoked the spirit of the planchette, which at once\nreplied in the following terms:--\u201cLet not Mr. Li be disheartened by\ntemporary failure. Let him rather strive to improve himself still\nfurther, and next year he may be among the first on the list.\u201d Li\ncarried out these injunctions; and after a time the story reached the\nears of the Examiner, who gratified Li by making a public\nacknowledgment that there had been some miscarriage of justice at the\nexamination; and the following year he was passed high up on the\nlist.[288]\n\n\nFOOTNOTES:\n\n[283] Planchette was in full swing in China at the date of the\ncomposition of these stories, more than 200 years ago, and remains so\nat the present day. The character _chi_, used here and elsewhere for\nPlanchette, is defined in the _Shuo W\u00ean_, a Chinese dictionary,\npublished A.D. 100, \u201cto inquire by divination on doubtful topics,\u201d no\nmention being made of the particular manner in which responses are\nobtained. For the purpose of writing from personal experience, I\nrecently attended a _s\u00e9ance_ at a temple in Amoy, and witnessed the\nwhole performance. After much delay, I was requested to write on a\nslip of paper \u201cany question I might have to put to the God;\u201d and,\naccordingly, I took a pencil and wrote down, \u201cA humble suppliant\nventures to inquire if he will win the Manila lottery.\u201d This question\nwas then placed upon the altar, at the feet of the God; and shortly\nafterwards two respectable-looking Chinamen, not priests, approached a\nsmall table covered with sand, and each seized one arm of a forked\npiece of wood, at the fork of which was a stumpy end, at right angles\nto the plane of the arms. Immediately the attendants began burning\nquantities of joss-paper, while the two performers whirled the\ninstrument round and round at a rapid rate, its vertical point being\nall the time pressed down upon the table of sand. All of a sudden the\nwhirling movement stopped, and the point of the instrument rapidly\ntraced a character in the sand, which was at once identified by\nseveral of the bystanders, and forthwith copied down by a clerk in\nattendance. The whirling movement was then continued until a similar\npause was made and another character appeared; and so on, until I had\nfour lines of correctly-rhymed Chinese verse, each line consisting of\nseven characters. The following is an almost word-for-word\ntranslation:--\n\n \u201cThe pulse of human nature throbs from England to Cathay,\n And gambling mortals ever love to swell their gains by play;\n For gold in this vile world of ours is everywhere a prize--\n A thousand taels shall meet the prayer that on this altar lies.\u201d\n\nAs the question is not concealed from view, all that is necessary for\nsuch a hollow deception is a quick-witted versifier who can put\ntogether a poetical response _stans pede in uno_. But in such matters\nthe unlettered masses of China are easily outwitted, and are a\nprofitable source of income to the more astute of their\nfellow-countrymen.\n\n[284] An official who flourished in the eighth century of our era, and\nwho, for his devotion to the Taoist religion, was subsequently\ncanonized as one of the Eight Immortals. He is generally represented\nas riding on a crane.\n\n[285] That is, by means of the planchette-table.\n\n[286] Our author was here evidently thinking of his own unlucky fate.\n\n[287] See No. CXXXI., note 252.\n\n[288] See No. LXXV., note 71.\n\n\n\n\nCXLIII.\n\nFRIENDSHIP WITH FOXES.\n\n\nA certain man had an enormous stack of straw, as big as a hill, in\nwhich his servants, taking what was daily required for use, had made\nquite a hole. In this hole a fox fixed his abode, and would often shew\nhimself to the master of the house under the form of an old man. One\nday the latter invited the master to walk into the cave, which he at\nfirst declined, but accepted on being pressed by the fox; and when he\ngot inside, lo! he saw a long suite of handsome apartments. They then\nsat down, and exquisitely perfumed tea and wine were brought; but the\nplace was so gloomy that there was no difference between night and\nday. By-and-by, the entertainment being over, the guest took his\nleave; and on looking back the beautiful rooms and their contents had\nall disappeared. The old man himself was in the habit of going away in\nthe evening and returning with the first streaks of morning; and as no\none was able to follow him, the master of the house asked him one day\nwhither he went. To this he replied that a friend invited him to take\nwine; and then the master begged to be allowed to accompany him, a\nproposal to which the old man very reluctantly consented. However, he\nseized the master by the arm, and away they went as though riding on\nthe wings of the wind; and, in about the time it takes to cook a pot\nof millet, they reached a city, and walked into a restaurant, where\nthere were a number of people drinking together and making a great\nnoise. The old man led his companion to a gallery above, from which\nthey could look down on the feasters below; and he himself went down\nand brought away from the tables all kinds of nice food and wine,\nwithout appearing to be seen or noticed by any of the company. After\nawhile a man dressed in red garments came forward and laid upon the\ntable some dishes of cumquats;[289] and the master at once requested\nthe old man to go down and get him some of these. \u201cAh,\u201d replied the\nlatter, \u201cthat is an upright man: I cannot approach him.\u201d Thereupon the\nmaster said to himself, \u201cBy thus seeking the companionship of a fox, I\nthen am deflected from the true course. Henceforth I, too, will be an\nupright man.\u201d No sooner had he formed this resolution, than he\nsuddenly lost all control over his body, and fell from the gallery\ndown among the revellers below. These gentlemen were much astonished\nby his unexpected descent; and he himself, looking up, saw there was\nno gallery to the house, but only a large beam upon which he had been\nsitting. He now detailed the whole of the circumstances, and those\npresent made up a purse for him to pay his travelling expenses; for he\nwas at Y\u00fc-t\u2018ai--one thousand _li_ from home.\n\n\nFOOTNOTE:\n\n[289] Literally, \u201cgolden oranges.\u201d These are skilfully preserved by\nthe Cantonese, and form a delicious sweetmeat for dessert.\n\n\n\n\nCXLIV.\n\nTHE GREAT RAT.\n\n\nDuring the reign of the Emperor Wan Li,[290] the palace was troubled\nby the presence of a huge rat, quite as big as a cat, which ate up all\nthe cats that were set to catch it. Just then it chanced that among\nthe tribute offerings sent by some foreign State was a lion-cat, as\nwhite as snow. This cat was accordingly put into the room where the\nrat usually appeared; and, the door being closely shut, a secret watch\nwas kept. By-and-by the rat came out of its hole and rushed at the\ncat, which turned and fled, finally jumping up on the table. The rat\nfollowed, upon which the cat jumped down; and thus they went on up and\ndown for some time. Those who were watching said the cat was afraid\nand of no use; however, in a little while the rat began to jump less\nbriskly, and soon after squatted down out of breath. Then the cat\nrushed at it, and, seizing the rat by the back of the neck, shook and\nshook while its victim squeaked and squeaked, until life was extinct.\nThus they knew the cat was not afraid, but merely waited for its\nadversary to be fatigued, fleeing when pursued and itself pursuing the\nfleeing rat. Truly, many a bad swordsman may be compared with that\nrat!\n\n\nFOOTNOTE:\n\n[290] A.D. 1573-1620, the epoch of the most celebrated \u201cblue china.\u201d\n\n\n\n\nCXLV.\n\nWOLVES.\n\n\nI.--A certain village butcher, who had bought some meat at market and\nwas returning home in the evening, suddenly came across a wolf, which\nfollowed him closely, its mouth watering at the sight of what he was\ncarrying. The butcher drew his knife and drove the animal off; and\nthen reflecting that his meat was the attraction, he determined to\nhang it up in a tree and fetch it the next morning. This he\naccordingly did, and the wolf followed him no further; but when he\nwent at daylight to recover his property, he saw something hanging up\nin the tree resembling a human corpse. It turned out to be the wolf,\nwhich, in its efforts to get at the meat, had been caught on the\nmeat-hook like a fish; and as the skin of a wolf was just then worth\nten ounces of silver, the butcher found himself possessed of quite a\nlittle capital. Here we have a laughable instance of the result of\n\u201cclimbing trees to catch fish.\u201d[291]\n\n\nII.--A butcher, while travelling along at night, was sore pressed by a\nwolf, and took refuge in an old mat shed which had been put up for\nthe watchman of the crops. There he lay, while the wolf sniffed at him\nfrom outside, and at length thrust in one of its paws from underneath.\nThis the butcher seized hold of at once, and held it firmly, so that\nthe wolf couldn\u2019t stir; and then, having no other weapon at hand, he\ntook a small knife he had with him and slit the skin underneath the\nwolf\u2019s paw. He now proceeded to blow into it, as butchers blow into\npork;[292] and after vigorously blowing for some time, he found that\nthe wolf had ceased to struggle; upon which he went outside and saw\nthe animal lying on the ground, swelled up to the size of a cow, and\nunable to bend its legs or close its open mouth. Thereupon he threw it\nacross his shoulders and carried it off home. However, such a feat as\nthis could only be accomplished by a butcher.\n\n\nFOOTNOTES:\n\n[291] A satirical remark of Mencius (Book I.), used by the sage when\ncombating the visionary projects of a monarch of antiquity.\n\n[292] This disgusting process is too frequently performed by native\nbutchers at the present day, in order to give their meat a more\ntempting appearance. Water is also blown in through a tube, to make it\nheavier; and inexperienced housekeepers are often astonished to find\nhow light ducks and geese become after being cooked, not knowing that\nthe fraudulent poulterer had previously stuffed their throats as full\nas possible of sand.\n\n\n\n\nCXLVI.\n\nSINGULAR VERDICT.\n\n\nA servant in the employ of a Mr. Sun was sleeping alone one night,\nwhen all on a sudden he was arrested and carried before the tribunal\nof the Ruler of Purgatory. \u201cThis is not the right man,\u201d cried his\nMajesty, and immediately sent him back. However, after this the\nservant was afraid to sleep on that bed again, and took up his\nquarters elsewhere. But another servant, named Kuo Ngan, seeing the\nvacant place, went and occupied it. A third servant, named Li Lu, who\nhad an old standing grudge against the first, stole up to the bed that\nsame night with a knife in his hand, and killed Kuo Ngan[293] in\nmistake for his enemy. Kuo\u2019s father at once brought the case before\nthe magistrate of the place, pleading that the murdered man was his\nonly son on whom he depended for his living; and the magistrate\ndecided that Kuo was to take Li Lu in the place of his dead son, much\nto the discomfiture of the old man. Truly the descent of the first\nservant into Purgatory was not so marvellous as the magistrate\u2019s\ndecision!\n\n\nFOOTNOTE:\n\n[293] This was the man whose destiny it was really to die just then,\nand appear before the Ruler of Purgatory.\n\n\n\n\nCXLVII.\n\nTHE GRATEFUL DOG.\n\n\nA certain trader who had been doing business at Wu-hu and was\nreturning home with the large profits he had made, saw on the river\nbank a butcher tying up a dog.[294] He bought the animal for much more\nthan its value, and carried it along with him in his boat. Now the\nboatman had formerly been a bandit; and, tempted by his passenger\u2019s\nwealth, ran the boat among the rushes, and, drawing a knife, prepared\nto slay him. The trader begged the man to leave him a whole skin;[295]\nso the boatman wrapped him up in a carpet and threw him into the\nriver. The dog, on seeing what was done, whined piteously, and jumping\ninto the river, seized the bundle with his teeth and did its best to\nkeep the trader above water until at length a shallow spot was\nreached. The animal then succeeded by continuous barking in attracting\nthe attention of some people on the bank, and they hauled the bundle\nout of the river, and released the trader who was still alive. The\nlatter asked to be taken back to Wu-hu where he might look out for the\nrobber boatman; but just as he was about to start, lo! the dog was\nmissing. The trader was much distressed at this; and after spending\nsome days at Wu-hu without being able to find, among the forest of\nmasts collected there, the particular boat he wanted, he was on the\npoint of returning home with a friend, when suddenly the dog\nre-appeared and seemed by its barking to invite its master to follow\nin a certain direction. This the trader did, until at length the dog\njumped on a boat and seized one of the boatmen by the leg. No beating\ncould make the animal let go; and on looking closely at the man, the\ntrader saw he was the identical boatman who had robbed and tried to\nmurder him. He had changed his clothes and also his boat, so that at\nfirst he was not recognisable; he was now, however, arrested, and the\nwhole of the money was found in his boat. To think that a dog could\nshow gratitude like that! Truly there are not a few persons who would\nbe put to shame by that faithful animal.[296]\n\n\nFOOTNOTES:\n\n[294] The city of Canton boasts several \u201ccat and dog\u201d restaurants; but\nthe consumption of this kind of food is much less universal than is\ngenerally supposed.\n\n[295] Not in our sense of the term. It was not death, but\ndecapitation, or even mutilation, from which the trader begged to be\nspared. See No. LXXII., note 59.\n\n[296] The Chinese dog is usually an ill-fed, barking cur, without one\nredeeming trait in its character. Valued as a guardian of house and\nproperty, this animal does not hold the same social position as with\nus; its very name is a by-word of reproach; and the people of Tonquin\nexplain their filthy custom of blackening the teeth on the ground that\na dog\u2019s teeth are white.\n\n\n\n\nCXLVIII.\n\nTHE GREAT TEST.\n\n\nBefore Mr. Yang Ta-hung[297] was known to fame, he had already\nacquired some reputation as a scholar in his own part of the country,\nand felt convinced himself that his was to be no mean destiny. When\nthe list of successful candidates at the examination was brought to\nwhere he lived, he was in the middle of dinner, and rushed out with\nhis mouth full to ask if his name was there or not; and on hearing\nthat it was not, he experienced such a revulsion of feeling that what\nhe then swallowed stuck fast like a lump in his chest and made him\nvery ill. His friends tried to appease him by advising him to try at\nthe further examination of the rejected, and when he urged that he had\nno money, they subscribed ten ounces of silver and started him on his\nway.\n\nThat night he dreamt that a man appeared to him and said, \u201cAhead of\nyou there is one who can cure your complaint: beseech him to aid you.\u201d\nThe man then added--\n\n \u201cA tune on the flute \u2019neath the riverside willow:\n Oh, show no regret when \u2019tis cast to the billow!\u201d\n\nNext day, Mr. Yang actually met a Taoist priest sitting beneath a\nwillow tree; and, making him a bow, asked him to prescribe for his\nmalady. \u201cYou have come to the wrong person,\u201d replied the priest,\nsmiling; \u201cI cannot cure diseases; but had you asked me for a tune on\nthe flute, I could have possibly helped you.\u201d Then Mr. Yang knew that\nhis dream was being fulfilled; and going down on his knees offered the\npriest all the money he had. The priest took it, but immediately threw\nit into the river, at which Mr. Yang, thinking how hardly he had come\nby this money, was moved to express his regret. \u201cAha!\u201d cried the\npriest at this; \u201cso you are not indifferent, eh? You\u2019ll find your\nmoney all safe on the bank.\u201d There indeed Mr. Yang found it, at which\nhe was so much astonished that he addressed the priest as though he\nhad been an angel. \u201cI am no angel,\u201d said the priest, \u201cbut here comes\none;\u201d whereupon Mr. Yang looked behind him, and the priest seized the\nopportunity to give him a slap on the back, crying out at the same\ntime, \u201cYou worldly-minded fellow!\u201d This blow brought up the lump of\nfood that had stuck in his chest, and he felt better at once; but when\nhe looked round the priest had disappeared.[298]\n\n\nFOOTNOTES:\n\n[297] A celebrated scholar and statesman, who flourished towards the\nclose of the Ming dynasty, and distinguished himself by his\nimpeachment of the powerful eunuch, Wei Chung-hsien,--a dangerous step\nto take in those eunuch-ridden times.\n\n[298] Mr. Yang was a man of tried virtue, and had he been able to\ntolerate _oculo irretorto_, the loss of his money, the priest would\nhave given him, not merely a cure for the bodily ailment under which\nhe was suffering, but a knowledge of those means by which he might\nhave obtained the salvation of his soul, and have enrolled himself\namong the ranks of the Taoist Immortals. \u201cTo those, however,\u201d remarks\nthe commentator, \u201cwho lament that Mr. Yang was too worldly-minded to\nsecure this great prize, I reply, \u2018Better one more good man on earth,\nthan an extra angel in heaven.\u2019\u201d\n\n\n\n\nCXLIX.\n\nTHE ALCHEMIST.[299]\n\n\nAt Ch\u2018ang-ngan there lived a scholar named Chia Tz\u016d-lung, who one day\nnoticed a very refined-looking stranger; and, on making inquiries\nabout him, learnt that he was a Mr. Ch\u00ean, who had taken lodgings hard\nby. Accordingly, next day Chia called and sent in his card, but did\nnot see Ch\u00ean, who happened to be out at the time. The same thing\noccurred thrice; and at length Chia engaged some one to watch and let\nhim know when Mr. Ch\u00ean was at home. However, even then the latter\nwould not come forth to receive his guest, and Chia had to go in and\nrout him out. The two now entered into conversation, and soon became\nmutually charmed with each other; and by-and-by Chia sent off a\nservant to bring wine from a neighbouring wine-shop. Mr. Ch\u00ean proved\nhimself a pleasant boon companion, and when the wine was nearly\nfinished, he went to a box, and took from it some wine-cups and a\nlarge and beautiful jade tankard, into the latter of which he poured\na single cup of wine, and lo! it was filled to the brim. They then\nproceeded to help themselves from the tankard; but however much they\ntook out, the contents never seemed to diminish. Chia was astonished\nat this, and begged Mr. Ch\u00ean to tell him how it was done. \u201cAh,\u201d\nreplied Mr. Ch\u00ean, \u201cI tried to avoid making your acquaintance solely\nbecause of your one bad quality--avarice. The art I practise is a\nsecret known to the Immortals only: how can I divulge it to you?\u201d \u201cYou\ndo me wrong,\u201d rejoined Chia, \u201cin thus attributing avarice to me. The\navaricious, indeed, are always poor.\u201d Mr. Ch\u00ean laughed, and they\nseparated for that day; but from that time they were constantly\ntogether, and all ceremony was laid aside between them. Whenever Chia\nwanted money, Mr. Ch\u00ean would bring out a black stone, and, muttering a\ncharm, would rub it on a tile or a brick, which was forthwith changed\ninto a lump of silver. This silver he would give to Chia, and it was\nalways just as much as he actually required, neither more nor less;\nand if ever the latter asked for more, Mr. Ch\u00ean would rally him on the\nsubject of avarice. Finally, Chia determined to try and get possession\nof this stone; and one day, when Mr. Ch\u00ean was sleeping off the fumes\nof a drinking-bout, he tried to extract it from his clothes. However,\nCh\u00ean detected him at once, and declared that they could be friends no\nmore, and next day he left the place altogether. About a year\nafterwards Chia was one day wandering by the river-bank, when he saw a\nhandsome-looking stone, marvellously like that in the possession of\nMr. Ch\u00ean; and he picked it up at once and carried it home with him. A\nfew days passed away, and suddenly Mr. Ch\u00ean presented himself at\nChia\u2019s house, and explained that the stone in question possessed the\nproperty of changing anything into gold, and had been bestowed upon\nhim long before by a certain Taoist priest, whom he had followed as a\ndisciple. \u201cAlas!\u201d added he, \u201cI got tipsy and lost it; but divination\ntold me where it was, and if you will now restore it to me, I shall\ntake care to repay your kindness.\u201d \u201cYou have divined rightly,\u201d replied\nChia; \u201cthe stone is with me; but recollect, if you please, that the\nindigent Kuan Chung[300] shared the wealth of his friend Pao Shu.\u201d At\nthis hint Mr. Ch\u00ean said he would give Chia one hundred ounces of\nsilver; to which the latter replied that one hundred ounces was a fair\noffer, but that he would far sooner have Mr. Ch\u00ean teach him the\nformula to utter when rubbing the stone on anything, so as just to try\nthe thing once himself. Mr. Ch\u00ean was afraid to do this; whereupon Chia\ncried out, \u201cYou are an Immortal yourself; you must know well enough\nthat I would never deceive a friend.\u201d So Mr. Ch\u00ean was prevailed upon\nto teach him the formula, and then Chia would have tried the art upon\nthe immense stone washing-block[301] which was lying near at hand, had\nnot Mr. Ch\u00ean seized his arm and begged him not to do any thing so\noutrageous. Chia then picked up half a brick and laid it on the\nwashing-block, saying to Mr. Ch\u00ean, \u201cThis little piece is not too much,\nsurely?\u201d Accordingly, Mr. Ch\u00ean relaxed his hold and let Chia proceed;\nwhich he did by promptly ignoring the half brick and quickly rubbing\nthe stone on the washing-block. Mr. Ch\u00ean turned pale when he saw him\ndo this, and made a dash forward to get hold of the stone; but it was\ntoo late, the washing-block was already a solid mass of silver, and\nChia quietly handed him back the stone. \u201cAlas! alas!\u201d cried Mr. Ch\u00ean,\nin despair, \u201cwhat is to be done now? For having thus irregularly\nconferred wealth upon a mortal,[302] Heaven will surely punish me. Oh,\nif you would save me, give away one hundred coffins[303] and one\nhundred suits of wadded clothes.\u201d \u201cMy friend,\u201d replied Chia, \u201cmy\nobject in getting money was not to hoard it up like a miser.\u201d Mr. Ch\u00ean\nwas delighted at this; and during the next three years Chia engaged in\ntrade, taking care to be all the time fulfilling his promise to Mr.\nCh\u00ean. At the expiration of that time Mr. Ch\u00ean himself reappeared, and,\ngrasping Chia\u2019s hand, said to him, \u201cTrustworthy and noble friend, when\nwe last parted the Spirit of Happiness impeached me before God,[304]\nand my name was erased from the list of angels. But now that you have\ncarried out my request, that sentence has accordingly been rescinded.\nGo on as you have begun, without ceasing.\u201d Chia asked Mr. Ch\u00ean what\noffice he filled in heaven; to which the latter replied that he was\nonly a fox, who, by a sinless life, had finally attained to that clear\nperception of the Truth which leads to immortality. Wine was then\nbrought, and the two friends enjoyed themselves together as of old;\nand even when Chia had passed the age of ninety years, that fox still\nused to visit him from time to time.\n\n\nFOOTNOTES:\n\n[299] Alchemy was widely cultivated in China during the Han dynasty by\npriests of the Taoist religion, but all traces of it have now long\nsince disappeared.\n\n[300] See No. XXII., note 143.\n\n[301] These are used, together with a heavy wooden _b\u00e2ton_, by the\nChinese washerman, the effect being most disastrous to a European\nwardrobe.\n\n[302] For thus interfering with the appointments of Destiny.\n\n[303] To provide coffins for poor people has ever been regarded as an\nact of transcendent merit. The tornado at Canton, in April, 1878, in\nwhich several thousand lives were lost, afforded an admirable\nopportunity for the exercise of this form of charity--an opportunity\nwhich was very largely availed of by the benevolent.\n\n[304] For usurping its prerogative by allowing Chia to obtain\nunauthorized wealth.\n\n\n\n\nCL.\n\nRAISING THE DEAD.\n\n\nMr. T\u2018ang P\u2018ing, who took the highest degree in the year 1661, was\nsuffering from a protracted illness, when suddenly he felt, as it\nwere, a warm glow rising from his extremities upwards. By the time it\nhad reached his knees, his feet were perfectly numb and without\nsensation; and before long his knees and the lower part of his body\nwere similarly affected. Gradually this glow worked its way up until\nit attacked the heart,[305] and then some painful moments ensued.\nEvery single incident of Mr. T\u2018ang\u2019s life from his boyhood upwards, no\nmatter how trivial, seemed to surge through his mind, borne along on\nthe tide of his heart\u2019s blood. At the revival of any virtuous act of\nhis, he experienced a delicious feeling of peace and calm; but when\nany wicked deed passed before his mind, a painful disturbance took\nplace within him, like oil boiling and fretting in a cauldron. He was\nquite unable to describe the pangs he suffered; however, he mentioned\nthat he could recollect having stolen, when only seven or eight years\nold, some young birds from their nest, and having killed them; and for\nthis alone, he said, boiling blood rushed through his heart during the\nspace of an ordinary mealtime. Then when all the acts of his life had\npassed one after another in panorama before him, the warm glow\nproceeded up his throat, and, entering the brain, issued out at the\ntop of his head like smoke from a chimney. By-and-by Mr. T\u2018ang\u2019s soul\nescaped from his body by the same aperture, and wandered far away,\nforgetting all about the tenement it had left behind. Just at that\nmoment a huge giant came along, and, seizing the soul, thrust it into\nhis sleeve, where it remained cramped and confined, huddled up with a\ncrowd of others, until existence was almost unbearable. Suddenly Mr.\nT\u2018ang reflected that Buddha alone could save him from this horrible\nstate, and forthwith he began to call upon his holy name.[306] At the\nthird or fourth invocation he fell out of the giant\u2019s sleeve,\nwhereupon the latter picked him up and put him back; but this happened\nseveral times, and at length the giant, wearied of picking him up, let\nhim lie where he was. The soul lay there for some time, not knowing in\nwhich direction to proceed; however, it soon recollected that the land\nof Buddha was in the west, and westwards accordingly it began to shape\nits course. In a little while the soul came upon a Buddhist priest\nsitting by the roadside, and, hastening forwards, respectfully\ninquired of him which was the right way. \u201cThe record of life and\ndeath for scholars,\u201d replied the priest, \u201cis in the hands of\nW\u00ean-ch\u2018ang[307] and Confucius; any application must receive the\nconsent of both.\u201d The priest then directed Mr. T\u2018ang on his way, and\nthe latter journeyed along until he reached a Confucian temple, in\nwhich the Sage was sitting with his face to the south.[308] On hearing\nhis business, Confucius referred him on to W\u00ean-ch\u2018ang; and, proceeding\nonwards in the direction indicated, Mr. T\u2018ang by-and-by arrived at\nwhat seemed to be the palace of a king, within which sat W\u00ean-ch\u2018ang,\nprecisely as we depict him on earth. \u201cYou are an upright man,\u201d replied\nthe God, in reply to Mr. T\u2018ang\u2019s prayer, \u201cand are certainly entitled\nto a longer span of life; but by this time your mortal body has become\ndecomposed, and unless you can secure the assistance of P\u2018u-sa,[309] I\ncan give you no aid.\u201d So Mr. T\u2018ang set off once more, and hurried\nalong until he came to a magnificent shrine standing in a thick grove\nof tall bamboos; and, entering in, he stood in the presence of the\nGod, on whose head was the _ushnisha_,[310] whose golden face was\nround like the full moon, and at whose side was a green willow-branch\nbending gracefully over the lip of a vase. Humbly Mr. T\u2018ang prostrated\nhimself on the ground, and repeated what W\u00ean-ch\u2018ang had said to him;\nbut P\u2018u-sa seemed to think it would be impossible to grant his\nrequest, until one of the Lohans[311] who stood by cried out, \u201cO God,\nThou canst perform this miracle: take earth and make his flesh; take a\nsprig of willow and make his bones.\u201d Thereupon P\u2018u-sa broke off a\npiece from the willow-branch in the vase beside him; and, pouring a\nlittle of the water upon the ground, he made clay, and, casting the\nwhole over Mr. T\u2018ang\u2019s soul, bade an attendant lead the body back to\nthe place where his coffin was. At that instant Mr. T\u2018ang\u2019s family\nheard a groan proceeding from within his coffin, and, on rushing to it\nand helping out the lately-deceased man, they found he had quite\nrecovered. He had then been dead seven days.\n\n\nFOOTNOTES:\n\n[305] See No. XIV., note 97.\n\n[306] See No. LIV., note 293.\n\n[307] The God of Literature.\n\n[308] See No. LXXVII., note 76.\n\n[309] See No. XXVI., note 182.\n\n[310] A fleshy protuberance on the head, which is the distinguishing\nmark of a Buddha.\n\n[311] The eighteen personal disciples of Sh\u00e2kyamuni Buddha. Sixteen of\nthese are Hindoos, which number was subsequently increased by the\naddition of two Chinese Buddhists.\n\n\n\n\nCLI.\n\nF\u00caNG-SHUI.[312]\n\n\nAt I-chow there lived a high official named Sung, whose family were\nall ardent supporters of F\u00eang-Shui; so much so, that even the\nwomen-folk read books[313] on the subject, and understood the\nprinciples of the science. When Mr. Sung died, his two sons set up\nseparate establishments,[314] and each invited to his own house\ngeomancers from far and near, who had any reputation in their art, to\nselect a spot for the dead man\u2019s grave. By degrees, they had collected\ntogether as many as a hundred a-piece, and every day they would scour\nthe country round, each at the head of his own particular regiment.\nAfter about a month of this work, both sides had fixed upon a suitable\nposition for the grave; and the geomancers engaged by one brother,\ndeclared that if their spot was selected he would certainly some day\nbe made a marquis, while the other brother was similarly informed, by\nhis geomancers, that by adopting their choice he would infallibly rise\nto the rank of Secretary of State. Thus, neither brother would give\nway to the other, but each set about making the grave in his own\nparticular place,--pitching marquees, and arranging banners, and\nmaking all necessary preparations for the funeral. Then when the\ncoffin arrived at the point where roads branched off to the two\ngraves, the two brothers, each leading on his own little army of\ngeomancers, bore down upon it with a view to gaining possession of the\ncorpse. From morn till dewy eve the battle raged; and as neither\ngained any advantage over the other, the mourners and friends, who had\ncome to witness the ceremony of burial, stole away one by one; and the\ncoolies, who were carrying the coffin, after changing the poles from\none shoulder to another until they were quite worn out, put the body\ndown by the roadside, and went off home. It then became necessary to\nmake some protection for the coffin against the wind and rain;\nwhereupon the elder brother immediately set about building a hut close\nby, in which he purposed leaving some of his attendants to keep\nguard; but he had no sooner begun than the younger brother followed\nhis example; and when the elder built a second and third, the younger\nalso built a second and third; and as this went on for the space of\nthree whole years, by the end of that time the place had become quite\na little village. By-and-by, both brothers died, one directly after\nthe other; and then their two wives determined to cast to the winds\nthe decision of each party of geomancers. Accordingly, they went\ntogether to the two spots in question; and after inspecting them\ncarefully, declared that neither was suitable. The next step was to\njointly engage another set of geomancers, who submitted for their\napproval several different spots, and ten days had hardly passed away\nbefore the two women had agreed upon the position for their\nfather-in-law\u2019s grave, which, as the wife of the younger brother\nprophesied, would surely give to the family a high military degree. So\nthe body was buried, and within three years Mr. Sung\u2019s eldest\ngrandson, who had entered as a military cadet, actually took the\ncorresponding degree to a literary master of arts.\n\n [\u201cF\u00eang-Shui,\u201d adds the great commentator I Shih-shih, \u201cmay or may\n not be based upon sound principles; at any rate, to indulge a\n morbid belief in it is utter folly; and thus to join issue and\n fight while a coffin is relegated to the roadside, is hardly in\n accordance with the doctrines of filial piety or fraternal love.\n Can people believe that mere position will improve the fortunes of\n their family? At any rate, that two women should have thus quietly\n settled the matter is certainly worthy of record.\u201d]\n\n\nFOOTNOTES:\n\n[312] Literally, \u201cwind and water,\u201d or that which cannot be seen and\nthat which cannot be grasped. I have explained the term in my _Chinese\nSketches_, p. 143, as \u201ca system of geomancy, by the _science_ of which\nit is possible to determine the desirability of sites,--whether of\ntombs, houses, or cities, from the configuration of such natural\nobjects as rivers, trees, and hills, and to foretell with certainty\nthe fortunes of any family, community, or individual, according to the\nspot selected; by the _art_ of which it is in the power of the\ngeomancer to counteract evil influences by good ones, to transform\nstraight and noxious outlines into undulating and propitious curves,\nand rescue whole districts from the devastations of flood or\npestilence.\u201d\n\n[313] As a rule, only the daughters of wealthy families receive any\neducation to speak of.\n\n[314] A reprehensible proceeding in the eyes of all respectable\nChinese, both from a moral and a practical point of view; \u201cfor when\nbrothers fall out,\u201d says the proverb, \u201cstrangers get an advantage over\nthem.\u201d\n\n\n\n\nCLII.\n\nTHE LINGERING DEATH.\n\n\nThere was a man in our village who led an exceedingly disreputable\nlife. One morning when he got up rather early, two men appeared, and\nled him away to the market-place, where he saw a butcher hanging up\nhalf a pig. As they approached, the two men shoved him with all their\nmight against the dead animal, and lo! his own flesh began to blend\nwith the pork before him, while his conductors hurried off in an\nopposite direction. By-and-by the butcher wanted to sell a piece of\nhis meat; and seizing a knife, began to cut off the quantity required.\nAt every touch of the blade our disreputable friend experienced a\nsevere pang, which penetrated into his very marrow; and when, at\nlength, an old man came and haggled over the weight given him, crying\nout for a little bit more fat, or an extra portion of lean,[315] then,\nas the butcher sliced away the pork ounce by ounce, the pain was\nunendurable in the extreme. By about nine o\u2019clock the pork was all\nsold, and our hero went home, whereupon his family asked him what he\nmeant by staying in bed so late.[316] He then narrated all that had\ntaken place, and on making inquiries, they found that the pork-butcher\nhad only just come home; besides which our friend was able to tell him\nevery pound of meat he had sold, and every slice he had cut off. Fancy\na man being put to the lingering death[317] like this before\nbreakfast!\n\n\nFOOTNOTES:\n\n[315] Chinese tradesmen invariably begin by giving short weight in\nsuch transactions as these, partly in order to be in a position to\ngratify the customer by throwing in a trifle more and thus acquire a\nreputation for fair dealing.\n\n[316] It was only his soul that had left the house.\n\n[317] See No. LVI., note 322.\n\n\n\n\nCLIII.\n\nDREAMING HONOURS.\n\n\nWang Tz\u016d-ngan was a Tung-ch\u2018ang man, and a scholar of some repute, but\nunfortunate at the public examinations. On one occasion, after having\nbeen up for his master\u2019s degree, his anxiety was very great; and when\nthe time for the publication of the list drew near, he drank himself\ngloriously tipsy, and went and lay down on the bed. In a few moments a\nman rushed in, and cried out, \u201cSir! you have passed!\u201d whereupon Wang\njumped up, and said, \u201cGive him ten strings of cash.\u201d[318] Wang\u2019s wife,\nseeing he was drunk, and wishing to keep him quiet, replied, \u201cYou go\non sleeping: I\u2019ve given him the money.\u201d So Wang lay down again, but\nbefore long in came another man who informed Wang that his name was\namong the successful candidates for the highest degree. \u201cWhy, I\nhaven\u2019t been up for it yet;\u201d said Wang, \u201chow can I have passed?\u201d\n\u201cWhat! you don\u2019t mean to say you have forgotten the examination?\u201d\nanswered the man; and then Wang got up once more, and gave orders to\npresent the informant with ten strings of cash. \u201cAll right,\u201d replied\nhis wife; \u201cyou go on sleeping: I\u2019ve given him the money.\u201d Another\nshort interval, and in burst a third messenger to say that Wang had\nbeen elected a member of the National Academy, and that two official\nservants had come to escort him thither. Sure enough there were the\ntwo servants bowing at the bedside, and accordingly Wang directed that\nthey should be served with wine and meat, which his wife, smiling at\nhis drunken nonsense, declared had been already done. Wang now\nbethought him that he should go out and receive the congratulations of\nthe neighbours, and roared out several times to his official servants;\nbut without receiving any answer. \u201cGo to sleep,\u201d said his wife, \u201cand\nwait till I have fetched them;\u201d and after awhile the servants actually\ncame in; whereupon Wang stamped and swore at them for being such\nidiots as to go away. \u201cWhat! you wretched scoundrel,\u201d cried the\nservants, \u201care you cursing us in earnest, when we are only joking with\nyou!\u201d At this Wang\u2019s rage knew no bounds, and he set upon the men, and\ngave them a sound beating, knocking the hat of one off on to the\nground. In the _m\u00eal\u00e9e_, he himself tumbled over, and his wife ran in\nto pick him up, saying, \u201cShame upon you, for getting so drunk as\nthis!\u201d \u201cI was only punishing the servants as they deserved,\u201d replied\nWang; \u201cwhy do you call me drunk?\u201d \u201cDo you mean the old woman who cooks\nour rice and boils the water for your foot-bath,\u201d asked his wife,\nsmiling, \u201cthat you talk of servants to wait upon your poverty-stricken\ncarcase?\u201d At this sally all the women burst out in a roar of\nlaughter; and Wang, who was just beginning to get sober, waked up as\nif from a dream, and knew that there was no reality in all that had\ntaken place. However, he recollected the spot where the servant\u2019s hat\nhad fallen off, and on going thither to look for it, lo! he beheld a\ntiny official hat, no larger than a wine-cup, lying there behind the\ndoor. They were all much astonished at this, and Wang himself cried\nout, \u201cFormerly people were thus tricked by devils; and now foxes are\nplaying the fool with me!\u201d[319]\n\n\nFOOTNOTES:\n\n[318] See No. CXXIII., note 234.\n\n[319] A common saying is \u201cFoxes in the north; devils in the south,\u201d as\nillustrative of the folk-lore of these two great divisions of China.\n\n\n\n\nCLIV.\n\nTHE SHE-WOLF AND THE HERD-BOYS.\n\n\nTwo herd-boys went up among the hills and found a wolf\u2019s lair with two\nlittle wolves in it. Seizing each of them one, they forthwith climbed\ntwo trees which stood there, at a distance of forty or fifty paces\napart. Before long the old wolf came back, and, finding her cubs gone,\nwas in a great state of distress. Just then, one of the herd-boys\npinched his cub and made it squeak; whereupon the mother ran angrily\ntowards the tree whence the sound proceeded, and tried to climb up it.\nAt this juncture, the boy in the other tree pinched the other cub, and\nthereby diverted the wolf\u2019s attention in that direction. But no sooner\nhad she reached the foot of the second tree, than the boy who had\nfirst pinched his cub did so again, and away ran the old wolf back to\nthe tree in which her other young one was. Thus they went on time\nafter time, until the mother was dead tired, and lay down exhausted on\nthe ground. Then, when after some time she shewed no signs of moving,\nthe herd-boys crept stealthily down, and found that the wolf was\nalready stiff and cold. And truly, it is better to meet a blustering\nfoe with his hand upon his sword-hilt, by retiring within doors, and\nleaving him to fret his violence away unopposed; for such is but the\nbehaviour of brute beasts, of which men thus take advantage.\n\n\n\n\nCLV.\n\nADULTERATION[320] PUNISHED.\n\n\nAt Chin-ling there lived a seller of spirits, who was in the habit of\nadulterating his liquor with water and a certain drug, the effect of\nwhich was that even a few cups would make the strongest-headed man as\ndrunk as a jelly-fish.[321] Thus his shop acquired a reputation for\nhaving a good article on sale, and by degrees he became a rich man.\nOne morning, on getting up, he found a fox lying drunk alongside of\nthe spirit vat; and tying its legs together, he was about to fetch a\nknife, when suddenly the fox waked up, and began pleading for its\nlife, promising in return to do anything the spirit-merchant might\nrequire. The latter then released the animal, which instantly changed\ninto the form of a human being. Now, at that very time, the\nwife of a neighbour was suffering under fox influence, and this\nrecently-transformed animal confessed to the spirit-merchant that it\nwas he who had been troubling her. Thereupon the spirit-merchant, who\nknew the lady in question to be a celebrated beauty, begged his fox\nfriend to secretly introduce him to her. After raising some\nobjections, the fox at length consented, and conducted the\nspirit-merchant to a cave, where he gave him a suit of serge clothes,\nwhich he said had belonged to his late brother, and in which he told\nhim he could easily go. The merchant put them on, and returned home,\nwhen to his great delight he observed that no one could see him, but\nthat if he changed into his ordinary clothes everybody could see him\nas before. Accordingly he set off with the fox for his neighbour\u2019s\nhouse; and, when they arrived, the first thing they beheld was a charm\non the wall, like a great wriggling dragon. At this the fox was\ngreatly alarmed, and said, \u201cThat scoundrel of a priest! I can\u2019t go any\nfarther.\u201d He then ran off home, leaving the spirit-merchant to proceed\nby himself. The latter walked quietly in to find that the dragon on\nthe wall was a real one, and preparing to fly at him, so he too\nturned, and ran away as fast as his legs could carry him. The fact was\nthat the family had engaged a priest to drive away the fox influence;\nand he, not being able to go at the moment himself, gave them this\ncharm to stick up on the wall. The following day the priest himself\ncame, and, arranging an altar, proceeded to exorcise the fox. All the\nvillagers crowded round to see, and among others was the\nspirit-merchant, who, in the middle of the ceremony, suddenly changed\ncolour, and hurried out of the front door, where he fell on the ground\nin the shape of a fox, having his clothes still hanging about his arms\nand legs. The bystanders would have killed him on the spot, but his\nwife begged them to spare him; and the priest let her take the fox\nhome, where in a few days it died.\n\n\nFOOTNOTES:\n\n[320] In no country in the world is adulteration more extensively\npractised than in China, the only formal check upon it being a\nreligious one--the dread of punishment in the world below.\n\n[321] The text has here a word (literally, \u201cmud\u201d) explained to be the\nname of a boneless aquatic creature, which on being removed from the\nwater lies motionless like a lump of mud. The common term for a\njelly-fish is _shui-mu_, \u201cwater-mother.\u201d\n\n\n\n\nCLVI.\n\nA CHINESE SOLOMON.\n\n\nIn our district there lived two men, named Hu Ch\u2018\u00eang and F\u00eang Ngan,\nbetween whom there existed an old feud. The former, however, was the\nstronger of the two; and accordingly F\u00eang disguised his feelings under\na specious appearance of friendship, though Hu never placed much faith\nin his professions. One day they were drinking together, and being\nboth of them rather the worse for liquor, they began to brag of the\nvarious exploits they had achieved. \u201cWhat care I for poverty,\u201d cried\nHu, \u201cwhen I can lay a hundred ounces of silver on the table at a\nmoment\u2019s notice?\u201d Now F\u00eang was well aware of the state of Hu\u2019s\naffairs, and did not hesitate to scout such pretensions, until Hu\nfurther informed him in perfect seriousness that the day before he had\nmet a merchant travelling with a large sum of money and had tumbled\nhim down a dry well by the wayside; in confirmation of which he\nproduced several hundred ounces of silver, which really belonged to a\nbrother-in-law on whose behalf he was managing some negotiation for\nthe purchase of land. When they separated, F\u00eang went off and gave\ninformation to the magistrate of the place, who summoned Hu to answer\nto the charge. Hu then told the actual facts of the case, and his\nbrother-in-law and the owner of the land in question corroborated his\nstatement. However, on examining the dry well by letting a man down\nwith a rope round him, lo! there was a headless corpse lying at the\nbottom. Hu was horrified at this, and called Heaven to witness that he\nwas innocent; whereupon the magistrate ordered him twenty or thirty\nblows on the mouth for lying in the presence of such irrefragable\nproof, and cast him into the condemned cell, where he lay loaded with\nchains. Orders were issued that the corpse was not to be removed, and\na notification was made to the people, calling upon the relatives of\nthe deceased to come forward and claim the body. Next day a woman\nappeared, and said deceased was her husband; that his name was Ho, and\nthat he was proceeding on business with a large sum of money about him\nwhen he was killed by Hu. The magistrate observed that possibly the\nbody in the well might not be that of her husband, to which the woman\nreplied that she felt sure it was; and accordingly the corpse was\nbrought up and examined, when the woman\u2019s story was found to be\ncorrect. She herself did not go near the body, but stood at a little\ndistance making the most doleful lamentations; until at length the\nmagistrate said, \u201cWe have got the murderer, but the body is not\ncomplete; you go home and wait until the head has been discovered,\nwhen life shall be given for life.\u201d He then summoned Hu before him, and\ntold him to produce the head by the next day under penalty of severe\ntorture; but Hu only wandered about with the guard sent in charge of\nhim, crying and lamenting his fate, but finding nothing. The\ninstruments of torture were then produced, and preparations were made\nas if for torturing Hu; however, they were not applied,[322] and\nfinally the magistrate sent him back to prison, saying, \u201cI suppose\nthat in your hurry you didn\u2019t notice where you dropped the head.\u201d The\nwoman was then brought before him again; and on learning that her\nrelatives consisted only of one uncle, the magistrate remarked, \u201cA\nyoung woman like you, left alone in the world, will hardly be able to\nearn a livelihood. [Here she burst into tears and implored the\nmagistrate\u2019s pity.] The punishment of the guilty man has been already\ndecided upon, but until we get the head, the case cannot be closed. As\nsoon as it is closed, the best thing you can do is to marry again. A\nyoung woman like yourself should not be in and out of a police-court.\u201d\nThe woman thanked the magistrate and retired; and the latter issued a\nnotice to the people, calling upon them to make a search for the head.\nOn the following day, a man named Wang, a fellow villager of the\ndeceased, reported that he had found the missing head; and his report\nproving to be true, he was rewarded with 1,000 _cash_. The magistrate\nnow summoned the woman\u2019s uncle above-mentioned, and told him that the\ncase was complete, but that as it involved such an important matter as\nthe life of a human being, there would necessarily be some delay in\nclosing it for good and all.[323] \u201cMeanwhile,\u201d added the magistrate,\n\u201cyour niece is a young woman and has no children; persuade her to\nmarry again and so keep herself out of these troubles, and never mind\nwhat people may say.\u201d[324] The uncle at first refused to do this; upon\nwhich the magistrate was obliged to threaten him until he was\nultimately forced to consent. At this, the woman appeared before the\nmagistrate to thank him for what he had done; whereupon the latter\ngave out that any person who was willing to take the woman to wife was\nto present himself at his yam\u00ean. Immediately afterwards an application\nwas made--by the very man who had found the head. The magistrate then\nsent for the woman and asked her if she could say who was the real\nmurderer; to which she replied that Hu Ch\u00eang had done the deed. \u201cNo!\u201d\ncried the magistrate; \u201cit was not he. It was you and this man here.\n[Here both began loudly to protest their innocence.] I have long known\nthis; but, fearing to leave the smallest loophole for escape, I have\ntarried thus long in elucidating the circumstances. How [to the\nwoman], before the corpse was removed from the well, were you so\ncertain that it was your husband\u2019s body? _Because you already knew he\nwas dead._ And does a trader who has several hundred ounces of silver\nabout him dress as shabbily as your husband was dressed? And you, [to\nthe man], how did you manage to find the head so readily? _Because you\nwere in a hurry to marry the woman._\u201d The two culprits stood there as\npale as death, unable to utter a word in their defence; and on the\napplication of torture both confessed the crime. For this man, the\nwoman\u2019s paramour, had killed her husband, curiously enough, about the\ntime of Hu Ch\u00eang\u2019s braggart joke. Hu was accordingly released, but\nF\u00eang suffered the penalty of a false accuser; he was severely\nbambooed, and banished for three years. The case was thus brought to a\nclose without the wrongful punishment of a single person.\n\n\nFOOTNOTES:\n\n[322] See No. LXXIII., note 62.\n\n[323] There is a widespread belief that human life in China is held at\na cheap rate. This may be accounted for by the fact that death is the\nlegal punishment for many crimes not considered capital in the West;\nand by the severe measures that are always taken in cases of\nrebellion, when the innocent and guilty are often indiscriminately\nmassacred. In times of tranquillity, however, this is not the case;\nand the execution of a criminal is surrounded by a number of\nformalities which go far to prevent the shedding of innocent blood.\nThe _Hsi-y\u00fcan-lu_ (see No. XIV., note 100) opens with the words,\n\u201cThere is nothing more important than human life.\u201d\n\n[324] See No. LXVIII., note 30.\n\n\n\n\nCLVII.\n\nTHE ROC.\n\n\nTwo herons built their nests under one of the ornaments on the roof of\na temple at Tientsin. The accumulated dust of years in the shrine\nbelow concealed a huge serpent, having the diameter of a\nwashing-basin; and whenever the heron\u2019s young were ready to fly, the\nreptile proceeded to the nest and swallowed every one of them, to the\ngreat distress of the bereaved parents. This took place three years\nconsecutively, and people thought the birds would build there no more.\nHowever, the following year they came again; and when the time was\ndrawing nigh for their young ones to take wing, away they flew, and\nremained absent for nearly three days. On their return, they went\nstraight to the nest, and began amidst much noisy chattering to feed\ntheir young ones as usual. Just then the serpent crawled up to reach\nhis prey; and as he was nearing the nest the parent-birds flew out and\nscreamed loudly in mid-air. Immediately, there was heard a mighty\nflapping of wings, and darkness came over the face of the earth, which\nthe astonished spectators now perceived to be caused by a huge bird\nobscuring the light of the sun. Down it swooped with the speed of\nwind or falling rain, and, striking the serpent with its talons, tore\nits head off at a blow, bringing down at the same time several feet of\nthe masonry of the temple. Then it flew away, the herons accompanying\nit as though escorting a guest. The nest too had come down, and of the\ntwo young birds one was killed by the fall; the other was taken by the\npriests and put in the bell tower, whither the old birds returned to\nfeed it until thoroughly fledged, when it spread its wings and was\ngone.[325]\n\n\nFOOTNOTE:\n\n[325] This story is inserted chiefly in illustration of the fact that\nall countries have a record of some enormous bird such as the _roc_ of\nthe \u201cArabian Nights.\u201d\n\n\n\n\nCLVIII.\n\nTHE FAITHFUL GANDER.[326]\n\n\nA sportsman of Tientsin, having snared a wild goose, was followed to\nhis home by the gander, which flew round and round him in great\ndistress, and only went away at nightfall. Next day, when the\nsportsman went out, there was the bird again; and at length it\nalighted quite close to his feet. He was on the point of seizing it\nwhen suddenly it stretched out its neck and disgorged a piece of pure\ngold; whereupon, the sportsman, understanding what the bird meant,\ncried out, \u201cI see! this is to ransom your mate, eh?\u201d Accordingly, he\nat once released the goose, and the two birds flew away with many\nexpressions of their mutual joy, leaving to the sportsman nearly three\nounces of pure gold. Can, then, mere birds have such feelings as\nthese? Of all sorrows there is no sorrow like separation from those we\nlove; and it seems that the same holds good even of dumb animals.\n\n\nFOOTNOTE:\n\n[326] See No. XXXV., note 217.\n\n\n\n\nCLIX.\n\nTHE ELEPHANTS AND THE LION.\n\n\nA huntsman of Kuang-si, who was out on the hills with his bow and\narrows, lay down to rest awhile, and unwittingly fell fast asleep. As\nhe was slumbering, an elephant came up, and, coiling his trunk around\nthe man, carried him off. The latter gave himself up for dead; but\nbefore long the elephant had deposited him at the foot of a tall tree,\nand had summoned a whole herd of comrades, who crowded about the\nhuntsman as though asking his assistance. The elephant who had brought\nhim went and lay down under the tree, and first looked up into its\nbranches and then looked down at the man, apparently requesting him to\nget up into the tree. So the latter jumped on the elephant\u2019s back and\nthen clambered up to the topmost branch, not knowing what he was\nexpected to do next. By-and-by a lion[327] arrived, and from among\nthe frightened herd chose out a fat elephant, which he seemed as\nthough about to devour. The others remained there trembling, not\ndaring to run away, but looking wistfully up into the tree. Thereupon\nthe huntsman drew an arrow from his quiver and shot the lion dead, at\nwhich all the elephants below made him a grateful obeisance. He then\ndescended, when the elephant lay down again and invited him to mount\nby pulling at his clothes with its trunk. This he did, and was carried\nto a place where the animal scratched the ground with its foot, and\nrevealed to him a vast number of old tusks. He jumped down and\ncollected them in a bundle, after which the elephant conveyed him to a\nspot whence he easily found his way home.\n\n\nFOOTNOTE:\n\n[327] The term here used refers to a creature which partakes rather of\nthe fabulous than of the real. The _Kuang-y\u00fcn_ says it is \u201ca kind of\nlion;\u201d but other authorities describe it as a horse. Its favourite\nfood is tiger-flesh. Incense-burners are often made after the \u201clion\u201d\npattern and called by this name, the smoke of the incense issuing from\nthe mouth of the animal, like our own gargoyles.\n\n\n\n\nCLX.\n\nTHE HIDDEN TREASURE.\n\n\nLi Y\u00fceh-sh\u00eang was the second son of a rich old man who used to bury\nhis money, and who was known to his fellow-townsmen as \u201cOld Crocks.\u201d\nOne day the father fell sick, and summoned his sons to divide the\nproperty between them.[328] He gave four-fifths to the elder and only\none-fifth to the younger, saying to the latter, \u201cIt is not that I love\nyour brother more than I love you: I have other money stored away, and\nwhen you are alone I will hand that over to you.\u201d A few days\nafterwards the old man grew worse, and Y\u00fceh-sh\u00eang, afraid that his\nfather might die at any moment, seized an opportunity of seeing him\nalone to ask about the money that he himself was to receive. \u201cAh,\u201d\nreplied the dying man, \u201cthe sum of our joys and of our sorrows is\ndetermined by fate. You are now happy in the possession of a virtuous\nwife, and have no right to an increase of wealth.\u201d For, as a matter of\nfact, this second son was married to a lady from the Ch\u2018\u00ea family whose\nvirtue equalled that of any of the heroines of history: hence his\nfather\u2019s remark. Y\u00fceh-sh\u00eang, however, was not satisfied, and implored\nto be allowed to have the money; and at length the old man got angry\nand said, \u201cYou are only just turned twenty; you have known none of the\ntrials of life, and were I to give a thousand ounces of gold, it would\nsoon be all spent. Go! and, until you have drunk the cup of bitterness\nto its dregs, expect no money from me.\u201d Now Y\u00fceh-sh\u00eang was a filial\nson, and when his father spoke thus he did not venture to say any\nmore, and hoped for his speedy recovery that he might have a chance of\ncoaxing him to comply with his request. But the old man got worse and\nworse, and at length died; whereupon the elder brother took no trouble\nabout the funeral ceremonies, leaving it all to the younger, who,\nbeing an open-handed fellow, made no difficulties about the expense.\nThe latter was also fond of seeing a great deal of company at his\nhouse, and his wife often had to get three or four meals a-day ready\nfor guests; and, as her husband did very little towards looking after\nhis affairs, and was further sponged upon by all the needy ones of the\nneighbourhood, they were soon reduced to a state of poverty. The elder\nbrother helped them to keep body and soul together, but he died\nshortly afterwards, and this resource was cut off from them. Then, by\ndint of borrowing in the spring and repaying in the autumn,[329] they\nstill managed to exist, until at last it came to parting with their\nland, and they were left actually destitute. At that juncture their\neldest son died, followed soon after by his mother; and Y\u00fceh-sh\u00eang was\nleft almost by himself in the world. He now married the widow of a\nsheep-dealer, who had a little capital; and she was very strict with\nhim, and wouldn\u2019t let him waste time and money with his friends. One\nnight his father appeared to him and said, \u201cMy son, you have drained\nyour cup of bitterness to the dregs. You shall now have the money. I\nwill bring it to you.\u201d When Y\u00fceh-sh\u00eang woke up, he thought it was\nmerely a poor man\u2019s dream; but the next day, while laying the\nfoundations of a wall, he did come upon a quantity of gold. And then\nhe knew what his father had meant by \u201cwhen you are alone;\u201d for of\nthose about him at that time, more than half were gone.\n\n\nFOOTNOTES:\n\n[328] The Law of Inheritance, as it obtains in China, has been ably\nillustrated by Mr. Chal. Alabaster in Vols. V. and VI. of the _China\nReview_. This writer states that \u201cthere seems to be no absolutely\nfixed law in regard either of inheritance or testamentary dispositions\nof property, but certain general principles are recognised which the\ncourt will not allow to be disregarded without sufficient cause.\u201d As a\nrule the sons, whether by wife or concubine, share equally, and in\npreference to daughters, even though there should be a written will in\nfavour of the latter.\n\n[329] This has reference to the \u201cseed-time and harvest.\u201d\n\n\n\n\nCLXI.\n\nTHE BOATMEN OF LAO-LUNG.\n\n\nWhen His Excellency Chu was Viceroy of Kuangtung, there were constant\ncomplaints from the traders of mysterious disappearances; sometimes as\nmany as three or four of them disappearing at once and never being\nseen or heard of again. At length the number of such cases, filed of\ncourse against some person or persons unknown, multiplied to such an\nextent that they were simply put on record, and but little notice was\nfurther taken of them by the local officials. Thus, when His\nExcellency entered upon his duties, he found more than a hundred\nplaints of the kind, besides innumerable cases in which the missing\nman\u2019s relatives lived at a distance and had not instituted\nproceedings. The mystery so preyed upon the new Viceroy\u2019s mind that he\nlost all appetite for food; and when, finally, all the inquiries he\nhad set on foot resulted in no clue to an elucidation of these strange\ndisappearances, then His Excellency proceeded to wash and purify\nhimself, and, having notified the Municipal God,[330] he took to\nfasting and sleeping in his study alone. While he was in ecstasy, lo!\nan official entered, holding a tablet in his hand, and said that he\nhad come from the Municipal temple with the following instructions to\nthe Viceroy:--\n\n \u201cSnow on the whiskers descending:\n Live clouds falling from heaven:\n Wood in water buoyed up:\n In the wall an opening effected.\u201d\n\nThe official then retired, and the Viceroy waked up; but it was only\nafter a night of tossing and turning that he hit upon what seemed to\nhim the solution of the enigma. \u201cThe first line,\u201d argued he, \u201cmust\nsignify _old_ (_lao_ in Chinese); the second refers to the\n_dragon_[331] (_lung_ in Chinese); the third is clearly a _boat_; and\nthe fourth a _door_ here taken in its secondary sense--_man_.\u201d Now, to\nthe east of the province, not far from the pass by which traders from\nthe north connect their line of trade with the southern seas, there\nwas actually a ferry known as the Old Dragon (_Lao-lung_); and thither\nthe Viceroy immediately despatched a force to arrest those employed in\ncarrying people backwards and forwards. More than fifty men were\ncaught, and they all confessed at once without the application of\ntorture. In fact, they were bandits under the guise of boatmen;[332]\nand after beguiling passengers on board, they would either drug them\nor burn stupefying incense until they were senseless, finally cutting\nthem open and putting a large stone inside to make the body sink. Such\nwas the horrible story, the discovery of which brought throngs to the\nViceroy\u2019s door to serenade him in terms of gratitude and praise.[333]\n\n\nFOOTNOTES:\n\n[330] See No. I., note 36.\n\n[331] Clouds being naturally connected in every Chinaman\u2019s mind with\nthese fabulous creatures, the origin of which has been traced by some\nto waterspouts. See No. LXXXI., note 84.\n\n[332] \u201cBoat-men\u201d is the solution of the last two lines of the enigma.\n\n[333] The commentator actually supplies a list of the persons who\nsigned a congratulatory petition to the Viceroy on the arrest and\npunishment of the criminals.\n\n\n\n\nCLXII.\n\nTHE PIOUS SURGEON.\n\n\nA certain veterinary surgeon, named Hou, was carrying food to his\nfield labourers, when suddenly a whirlwind arose in his path. Hou\nseized a spoon and poured out a libation of gruel, whereupon the wind\nimmediately dropped. On another occasion, he was wandering about the\nmunicipal temple when he noticed an image of Liu Ch\u2018\u00fcan presenting the\nmelon,[334] in whose eye was a great splotch of dirt. \u201cDear me, Sir\nLiu!\u201d cried Hou, \u201cwho has been ill-using you like this?\u201d He then\nscraped away the dirt with his finger-nail, and passed on. Some years\nafterwards, as he was lying down very ill, two lictors walked in and\ncarried him off to a yam\u00ean, where they insisted on his bribing them\nheavily. Hou was at his wits\u2019 end what to do; but just at that moment\na personage dressed in green robes came forth, who was greatly\nastonished at seeing him there, and asked what it all meant. Our hero\nat once explained; whereupon the man in green turned upon the lictors\nand abused them for not shewing proper respect to Mr. Hou. Meanwhile a\ndrum sounded like the roll of thunder, and the man in green told Hou\nthat it was for the morning session, and that he would have to attend.\nLeading Hou within he put him in his proper place, and, promising to\ninquire into the charge against him, went forward and whispered a few\nwords to one of the clerks. \u201cOh,\u201d said the latter, advancing and\nmaking a bow to the veterinary surgeon, \u201cyours is a trifling matter.\nWe shall merely have to confront you with a horse, and then you can go\nhome again.\u201d Shortly afterwards, Hou\u2019s case was called; upon which he\nwent forward and knelt down, as did also a horse which was prosecuting\nhim. The judge now informed Hou that he was accused by the horse of\nhaving caused its death by medicines, and asked him if he pleaded\nguilty or not guilty. \u201cMy lord,\u201d replied Hou, \u201cthe prosecutor was\nattacked by the cattle-plague, for which I treated him accordingly;\nand he actually recovered from the disease, though he died on the\nfollowing day. Am I to be held responsible for that?\u201d The horse now\nproceeded to tell his story; and after the usual cross-examination and\ncries for justice, the judge gave orders to look up the horse\u2019s term\nof life in the Book of Fate. Therein it appeared that the animal\u2019s\ndestiny had doomed it to death on the very day on which it had died;\nwhereupon the judge cried out, \u201cYour term of years had already\nexpired; why bring this false charge? Away with you!\u201d and turning to\nHou, the judge added, \u201cYou are a worthy man, and may be permitted to\nlive.\u201d The lictors were accordingly instructed to escort him back, and\nwith them went out both the clerk and the man in green clothes, who\nbade the lictors take every possible care of Hou by the way. \u201cYou\ngentlemen are very kind,\u201d said Hou, \u201cbut I haven\u2019t the honour of your\nacquaintance, and should be glad to know to whom I am so much\nindebted.\u201d \u201cThree years ago,\u201d replied the man in green, \u201cI was\ntravelling in your neighbourhood, and was suffering very much from\nthirst, which you relieved for me by a few spoonfuls of gruel. I have\nnot forgotten that act.\u201d \u201cAnd my name,\u201d observed the other, \u201cis\nLiu Ch\u2018\u00fcan. You once took a splotch of dirt out of my eye that was\ntroubling me very much. I am only sorry that the wine and food we have\ndown here is unsuitable to offer you. Farewell.\u201d Hou now understood\nall that had happened, and went off home with the two lictors where he\nwould have regaled them with some refreshment, but they refused to\ntake even a cup of tea. He then waked up and found that he had been\ndead for two days. From this time forth he led a more virtuous life\nthan ever, always pouring out libations to Liu Ch\u2018\u00fcan at all the\nfestivals of the year. Thus he reached the age of eighty, a hale and\nhearty man, still able to sit in the saddle; until one day he met\nLiu Ch\u2018\u00fcan riding on horseback, as if about to make a long journey.\nAfter a little friendly conversation, the latter said to him, \u201cYour\ntime is up, and the warrant for your arrest is already issued; but I\nhave ordered the constables to delay awhile, and you can now spend\nthree days in preparing for death, at the expiration of which I will\ncome and fetch you. I have purchased a small appointment for you in\nthe realms below,[335] by which you will be more comfortable.\u201d So Hou\nwent home and told his wife and children; and after collecting his\nfriends and relatives, and making all necessary preparations, on the\nevening of the fourth day he cried out, \u201cLiu Ch\u2018\u00fcan has come!\u201d and,\ngetting into his coffin,[336] lay down and died.\n\n\nFOOTNOTES:\n\n[334] When the soul of the Emperor T\u2018ai Tsung of the T\u2018ang dynasty was\nin the infernal regions, it promised to send Yen-lo (the Chinese\n_Yama_ or Pluto) a melon; and when His Majesty recovered from the\ntrance into which he had been plunged, he gave orders that his promise\nwas to be fulfilled. Just then a man, named Liu Ch\u2018\u00fcan, observed a\npriest with a hairpin belonging to his wife, and misconstruing the\nmanner in which possession of it had been obtained, abused his wife so\nseverely that she committed suicide. Liu Ch\u2018\u00fcan himself then\ndetermined to follow her example, and convey the melon to Yen-lo; for\nwhich act he was subsequently deified. See the _Hsi-yu-chi_, Section\nXI.\n\n[335] As the Chinese believe that their disembodied spirits proceed to\na world organised on much the same model as the one they know, so do\nthey think that there will be social distinctions of rank and\nemolument proportioned to the merits of each.\n\n[336] A dying man is almost always moved into his coffin to die; and\naged persons frequently take to sleeping regularly in the coffins\nprovided against the inevitable hour by the pious thoughtfulness of a\nloving son. Even in middle life Chinese like to see their coffins\nready for them, and store them sometimes on their own premises,\nsometimes in the outhouses of a neighbouring temple.\n\n\n\n\nCLXIII.\n\nANOTHER SOLOMON.\n\n\nAt T\u2018ai-y\u00fcan there lived a middle-aged woman with her widowed\ndaughter-in-law. The former was on terms of too great intimacy with a\nnotably bad character of the neighbourhood; and the latter, who\nobjected very strongly to this, did her best to keep the man from the\nhouse. The elder woman accordingly tried to send the other back to her\nfamily, but she would not go; and at length things came to such a pass\nthat the mother-in-law actually went to the mandarin of the place and\ncharged her daughter-in-law with the offence she herself was\ncommitting. When the mandarin inquired the name of the man concerned,\nshe said she had only seen him in the dark and didn\u2019t know who he was,\nreferring him for information to the accused. The latter, on being\nsummoned, gave the man\u2019s name, but retorted the charge on her\nmother-in-law; and when the man was confronted with them, he promptly\ndeclared both their stories to be false. The mandarin, however, said\nthere was a _prim\u00e2 facie_ case against him, and ordered him to be\nseverely beaten, whereupon he confessed that it was the\ndaughter-in-law whom he went to visit. This the woman herself flatly\ndenied, even under torture; and on being released, appealed to a\nhigher court, with a very similar result. Thus the case dragged on,\nuntil a Mr. Sun, who was well-known for his judicial acumen, was\nappointed district magistrate at that place. Calling the parties\nbefore him, he bade his lictors prepare stones and knives, at which\nthey were much exercised in their minds, the severest tortures allowed\nby law being merely gyves and fetters.[337] However, everything was\ngot ready, and the next day Mr. Sun proceeded with his investigation.\nAfter hearing all that each one of the three had to say, he delivered\nthe following judgment:--\u201cThe case is a simple one; for although I\ncannot say which of you two women is the guilty one, there is no doubt\nabout the man, who has evidently been the means of bringing discredit\non a virtuous family. Take those stones and knives there and put him\nto death. I will be responsible.\u201d Thereupon the two women began to\nstone the man, especially the younger one, who seized the biggest\nstones she could see and threw them at him with all the might of her\npent-up anger; while the mother-in-law chose small stones and struck\nhim on non-vital parts.[338] So with the knives: the daughter-in-law\nwould have killed him at the first blow, had not the mandarin stopped\nher, and said, \u201cHold! I now know who is the guilty woman.\u201d The\nmother-in-law was then tortured until she confessed, and the case was\nthus terminated.\n\n\nFOOTNOTES:\n\n[337] See No. LXXIII., note 62.\n\n[338] The Chinese distinguish sixteen vital spots on the front of the\nbody and six on the back, with thirty-six and twenty non-vital spots\nin similar positions, respectively. They allow, however, that a severe\nblow on a non-vital spot might cause death, and _vice vers\u00e2_.\n\n\n\n\nCLXIV.\n\nTHE INCORRUPT OFFICIAL.\n\n\nMr. Wu, Sub-prefect of Chi-nan, was an upright man, and would have no\nshare in the bribery and corruption which was extensively carried on,\nand at which the higher authorities connived, and in the proceeds of\nwhich they actually shared. The Prefect tried to bully him into\nadopting a similar plan, and went so far as to abuse him in violent\nlanguage; upon which Mr. Wu fired up and exclaimed, \u201cThough I am but a\nsubordinate official, you should impeach me for anything you have\nagainst me in the regular way; you have not the right to abuse me\nthus. Die I may, but I will never consent to degrade my office and\nturn aside the course of justice for the sake of filthy lucre.\u201d At\nthis outbreak the Prefect changed his tone, and tried to soothe\nhim.... [How dare people accuse the age of being corrupt, when it is\nthemselves who will not walk in the straight path.] One day after this\na certain fox-medium[339] came to the Prefect\u2019s yam\u00ean just as a feast\nwas in full swing, and was thus addressed by a guest:--\u201cYou who\npretend to know everything, say how many officials there are in this\nPrefecture.\u201d \u201c_One_,\u201d replied the medium; at which the company laughed\nheartily, until the medium continued, \u201cThere are really seventy-two\nholders of office, but Mr. Sub-prefect Wu is the only one who can\njustly be called an official.\u201d\n\n\nFOOTNOTE:\n\n[339] Certain classes of soothsayers are believed by the Chinese to be\npossessed by foxes, which animals have the power of looking into the\nfuture, &c., &c.\n\n\n\n\nAPPENDIX A.\n\n\nVisitors to Chinese temples of the Taoist persuasion usually make at\nonce for what is popularly known amongst foreigners as the \u201cChamber of\nHorrors.\u201d These belong specially to Taoism, or the ethics of Right in\nthe abstract, as opposed to abstract Wrong, and are not found in\ntemples consecrated to the religion of Buddha. Modern Taoism, however,\nonce a purely metaphysical system, is now so leavened with the\nsuperstitions of Buddhism, and has borrowed so much material from its\nyounger rival, that an ordinary Chinaman can hardly tell one from the\nother, and generally regards them as to all intents and purposes the\nsame. These rightly-named Chambers of Horrors--for Madame Tussaud has\nnothing more ghastly to show in the whole of her wonderful\ncollection--represent the Ten Courts of Purgatory, through some or all\nof which erring souls must pass before they are suffered to be born\nagain into the world under another form, or transferred to the eternal\nbliss reserved for the righteous alone. As a description of these Ten\nCourts may not be uninteresting to some of my readers, and as the\nsubject has a direct bearing upon many of the stories in the previous\ncollection, I hereto append my translation of a well-known Taoist\nwork[340] which is circulated gratuitously all over the Chinese Empire\nby people who are anxious to lay up a store of good works against the\nday of reckoning to come. Those who are acquainted with Dante\u2019s\n_Divine Comedy_ will recollect that the poet\u2019s idea of a Christian\nPurgatory was a series of nine lessening circles arranged one above\nthe other, so as to form a cone. The Taoist believes that his\nPurgatory consists of Ten Courts of Justice situated in different\npositions at the bottom of a great ocean which lies down in the\ndepths of the earth. These are sub-divided into special wards,\ndifferent forms of torture being inflicted in each. A perusal of this\nwork will shew what punishments the wicked Chinaman has to expect in\nthe unseen world, and by what means he may hope to obtain a partial or\ncomplete remission of his sins.\n\n\n_The \u201cDivine Panorama,\u201d published by the Mercy of Y\u00fc Ti,[341] that Men\nand Women may repent them of their Faults and make Atonement for their\nCrimes._\n\nOn the birthday of the Saviour P\u2018u-sa,[342] as the spirits of\nPurgatory were thronging round to offer their congratulations, the\nruler of the Infernal Regions spake as follows:--\u201cMy wish is to\nrelease all souls, and every moon as this day comes round I would\nwholly or partially remit the punishment of erring shades, and give\nthem life once more in one of the Six Paths.[343] But alas! the wicked\nare many and the virtuous few. Nevertheless, the punishments in the\ndark region are too severe, and require some modification. Any wicked\nsoul that repents and induces one or two others to do likewise shall\nbe allowed to set this off against the punishments which should be\ninflicted.\u201d The Judges of the Ten Courts of Purgatory then agreed that\nall who led virtuous lives from their youth upwards shall be escorted\nat their death to the land of the Immortals; that all whose balance of\ngood and evil is exact shall escape the bitterness of the Three\nStates,[344] and be born again among men; that those who have repaid\ntheir debts of gratitude and friendship, and fulfilled their destiny,\nyet have a balance of evil against them, shall pass through the\nvarious Courts of Purgatory and then be born again amongst men, rich,\npoor, old, young, diseased or crippled, to be put a second time upon\ntrial. Then, if they behave well they may enter into some happy state;\nbut if badly, they will be dragged by horrid devils through all the\nCourts, suffering bitterly as they go, and will again be born, to\nendure in life the uttermost of poverty and wretchedness, in death the\neverlasting tortures of hell. Those who are disloyal, unfilial, who\ncommit suicide, take life, or disbelieve the doctrine of Cause and\nEffect,[345] saying to themselves that when a man dies there is an\nend of him, that when he has lost his skin[346] he has already\nsuffered the worst that can befall him, that living men can be\ntortured, but no one ever saw a man\u2019s ghost in the pillory, that after\ndeath all is unknown, etc., etc.,--truly these men do not know that\nthe body alone perishes but the soul lives for ever and ever; and that\nwhatsoever evil they do in this life, the same will be done unto them\nin the life to come. All who commit such crimes are handed over to the\neverlasting tortures of hell; for alas! in spite of the teachings of\nthe Three Systems[347] some will persist in regarding these warnings\nas vain and empty talk. Lightly they speak of Divine mercy, and\nknowingly commit many crimes, not more than one in a hundred ever\ncoming to repentance. Therefore the punishments of Purgatory were\nstrictly carried out and the tortures dreadfully severe. But now it\nhas been mercifully ordained that any man or woman, young, old, weak\nor strong, who may have sinned in any way, shall be permitted to\nobtain remission of the same by keeping his or her thoughts constantly\nfixed on P\u2018u-sa and on the birthdays of the Judges of the Ten Courts,\nby fasting and prayer, and by vows never to sin again. Or for every\ngood work done in life they shall be allowed to escape one ward in the\nCourts below. From this rule to be excepted disloyal ministers,\nunfilial sons, suicides, those who plot in secret against good people,\nthose who are struck by lightning (_lit._ thunder), those who perish\nby flood or fire, by wild animals or poisonous reptiles[348]--these to\npass through all the Courts and be punished according to their\ndeserts. All other sinners to be allowed to claim their good works as\na set-off against evil, thus partly escaping the agonies of hell and\nreceiving some reward for their virtuous deeds.\n\nThis account of man\u2019s wickedness on the earth and the punishments in\nstore for him was written in language intelligible to every man and\nwoman, and was submitted for the approval of P\u2018u-sa, the intention\nbeing to wait the return[349] of some virtuous soul among the sons of\nmen, and by these means publish it all over the earth. When P\u2018u-sa saw\nwhat had been done, he said it was good; and on the 3rd of 8th moon\nproceeded with the ten Judges of Purgatory to lay this book before\nGod.[350]\n\nThen God said, \u201cGood indeed! Good indeed! henceforth let all spirits\ntake note of any mortal who vows to lead a virtuous life and,\nrepenting, promises to sin no more. Two punishments shall be remitted\nhim. And if, in addition to this, he succeeds in doing five virtuous\nacts, then he shall escape all punishment and be born again in some\nhappy state--if a woman she shall be born as a man. But more than five\nvirtuous acts shall enable such a soul to obtain the salvation of\nothers, and redeem wife and family from the tortures of hell. Let\nthese regulations be published in the _Divine Panorama_ and circulated\non earth by the spirits of the City Guardian.[351] In fear and\ntrembling obey this decree and carry it reverently into effect.\u201d\n\n\nTHE FIRST COURT.\n\nHis Infernal Majesty Ch\u2018in Kuang is specially in charge of the\nregister of life and death both for old and young, and presides at the\njudgment-seat in the lower regions. His court is situated in the great\nOcean, away beyond the Wu-chiao rock,[352] far to the west near the\nmurky road which leads to the Yellow Springs.[353] Every man and woman\ndying in old age whose fate it is to be born again into the world, if\ntheir tale of good and evil works is equally balanced, are sent to the\nFirst Court, and thence transferred back to Life, male becoming\nfemale, female male, rich poor, and poor rich, according to their\nseveral deserts. But those whose good deeds are outnumbered by their\nbad are sent to a terrace on the right of the Court, called the\nTerrace of the Mirror of Sin, ten feet in height. The mirror is about\nfifty feet[354] in circumference and hangs towards the east. Above are\nseven characters written horizontally:--\u201cSin Mirror Terrace upon no\ngood men.\u201d There the wicked souls are able to see the naughtiness of\ntheir own hearts while they were among the living, and the danger of\ndeath and hell. Then do they realize the proverb,--\n\n \u201cTen thousand taels of yellow gold cannot be brought away:\n But every crime will tell its tale upon the judgment day.\u201d\n\nWhen the souls have been to the Terrace and seen their wickednesses,\nthey are forwarded into the Second Court, where they are tortured and\ndismissed to the proper hell.\n\nShould there be any one enjoying life without reflecting that Heaven\nand Earth produce mortals, that father and mother bring the child to\nmaturity--truly no easy matter; and, ignoring the four obligations,[355]\nbefore receiving the summons, lightly sever the thread of their own\nexistence by cutting their throats, hanging, poisoning, or drowning\nthemselves:--then such suicides, if the deed was not done out of\nloyalty, filial piety, chastity, or friendship, for which they would\ngo to Heaven, but in a trivial burst of rage, or fearing the\nconsequences of a crime which would not amount to death, or in the\nhope of falsely injuring a fellow-creature--then such suicides, when\nthe last breath has left their bodies, shall be escorted to this Court\nby the Spirits of the Threshold and of the Hearth. They shall be\nplaced in the Hunger and Thirst Section, and every day from 7 till 11\no\u2019clock they will resume their mortal coil, and suffer again the pain\nand bitterness of death. After seventy days, or one or two years as\nthe case may be, they will be conducted back to the scene of their\nsuicide, but will not be permitted to taste the funeral meats, or\navail themselves of the usual offerings to the dead. Bitterly will\nthey repent, unable as they will be to render themselves visible and\nfrighten people,[356] vainly striving to procure a substitute.[357]\nFor when the substitute shall have been harmlessly entrapped, the\nSpirits of the Threshold and Hearth will reconduct the erring soul\nback to this Court, whence it will be sent on to the Second Court,\nwhere its balance of good and evil will be struck, and dreadful\ntortures applied, being finally passed on through the various Courts\nto the utter misery of hell. Should any one have such intention of\nsuicide and thus threaten a fellow creature, even though he does not\ncommit the act but continues to live not without virtue, yet shall it\nnot be permitted in any way to remit his punishment. Any soul which\nafter suicide shall not remain invisible, but shall frighten people to\ndeath, will be seized by black-faced long-tusked devils and tortured\nin the various hells, to be finally thrust into the great Gehenna, for\never to remain hung up in chains, and not permitted to be born again.\n\nEvery Buddhist or Taoist priest who receives money for prayers and\nliturgies, but skips over words and misses out sentences, on arriving\nat this, the First Court, will be sent to the section for the\nCompletion of Prayer, and there in a small dark room he shall pick out\nsuch passages as he has omitted, and make good the deficiency as best\nhe can, by the uncertain light of an infinitesimal wick burning in a\ngallon of oil. Even good and virtuous priests must also repair any\nomissions they may have (accidentally) made, and so must every man or\nwoman who in private devotion may have omitted or wrongly repeated any\npart of the sacred writings from over-earnestness, their attention not\nbeing properly fixed on the actual words they repeat. The same applies\nto female priests. A dispensation from Buddha to remit such punishment\nis put in force on the first day of each month when the names are\nentered in the register of the virtuous.\n\nO ye dwellers upon earth, on the 1st day of the 2nd moon, fasting turn\nto the north and make oath to abstain from evil and fix your thoughts\non good, that ye may escape hell! The precepts of Buddha are\ncirculated over the whole world to warn mankind to believe and repent,\nthat when the last hour comes their spirits may be escorted by\ndark-robed boys to realms of bliss and happiness in the west.\n\n\nTHE SECOND COURT.\n\nHis Infernal Majesty, Ch\u2018u Ching, reigns at the bottom of the great\nOcean. Away to the south, below the Wu-chiao rocks, he has a vast\nhell, many leagues in extent, and subdivided into sixteen wards, as\nfollows:--\n\nIn the first, nothing but black clouds and constant sand-storms. In\nthe second, mud and filth. In the third, _chevaux de frise_. In the\nfourth, gnawing hunger. In the fifth, burning thirst. In the sixth,\nblood and pus. In the seventh, the shades are plunged into a brazen\ncauldron (of boiling water). In the eighth, the same punishment is\nrepeated many times. In the ninth, they are put into iron clothes. In\nthe tenth, they are stretched on a rack to regulation length. In the\neleventh, they are pecked by fowls. In the twelfth, they have only\nrivers of lime to drink. In the thirteenth, they are hacked to pieces.\nIn the fourteenth, the leaves of the trees are as sharp as\nsword-points. In the fifteenth they are pursued by foxes and wolves.\nIn the sixteenth, all is ice and snow.\n\nThose who lead astray young boys and girls, and then escape punishment\nby cutting off their hair and entering the priesthood;[358] those who\nfilch letters, pictures, books, etc. entrusted to their care, and then\npretend to have lost them; those who injure a fellow-creature\u2019s ear,\neye, hand, foot, fingers, or toes; those who practise as doctors\nwithout any knowledge of the medical art; those who will not ransom\ngrown-up slave-girls;[359] those who, contracting marriage for the\nsake of gain, falsely state their ages; or those who in cases of\nbetrothal, before actual marriage, find out that one of the\ncontracting parties is a bad character, and yet do not come forward to\nsay so, but inflict an irreparable wrong on the innocent one;--such\noffenders, when their quota of crime has been cast up, their youth or\nage and the consequences of their acts taken into consideration, will\nbe seized by horrid red-faced devils and thrust into the great Hell,\nand thence despatched to the particular ward in which they are to be\ntormented. When their time of suffering there has expired, they will\nbe moved into the Third Hall, there to be tortured and passed on to\nGehenna.\n\nO ye men and women of the world, take this book and warn all sinners,\nor copy it out and circulate it for general information! If you see\npeople sick and ill, give medicine to heal them. If you see people\npoor and hungry, feed them. If you see people in difficulties, give\nmoney to save them. Repent your past errors, and you will be allowed\nto cancel that evil by future good, so that when the hour arrives you\nwill pass at once into the Tenth Hall, and thence return again to\nexistence on earth.\n\nLet such as love all creatures endowed with life, and do not\nrecklessly cut and slay, but teach their children not to harm small\nanimals and insects--let these, on the 1st of the 3rd moon, register\nan oath not to take life, but to aid in preserving it. Thus they will\navoid passing through Purgatory, and will also enter at once the Tenth\nHall, to be born again in some happy state.\n\n\nTHE THIRD COURT.\n\nHis Infernal Majesty Sung Ti reigns at the bottom of the great Ocean,\naway to the south-east, below the Wu-chiao rock, in the Gehenna of\nBlack Ropes. This Hall is many leagues wide, and is subdivided into\nsixteen wards, as follows:--\n\nIn the first everything is Salt; above, below, and all round, the eye\nrests upon Salt alone. The shades feed upon it, and suffer horrid\ntorments in consequence. When the fit has passed away they return to\nit once again, and suffer agonies more unutterable than before. In the\nsecond, the erring shades are bound with cords and carry\nheavily-weighted _cangues_. In the third, they are perpetually pierced\nthrough the ribs. In the fourth, their faces are scraped with iron and\ncopper knives. In the fifth, their fat is scraped away from their\nbodies. In the sixth, their hearts and livers are squeezed with\npincers. In the seventh, their eyes are gouged. In the eighth, they\nare flayed. In the ninth, their feet are cut off. In the tenth, their\nfinger-nails and toe-nails are pulled out. In the eleventh their blood\nis sucked. In the twelfth, they are hung up head downwards. In the\nthirteenth, their shoulder-bones are split. In the fourteenth, they\nare tormented by insects and reptiles. In the fifteenth, they are\nbeaten on the thighs. In the sixteenth, their hearts are scratched.\n\nThose who enjoy the light of day without reflecting on the Imperial\nbounty;[360] officers of State who revel in large emoluments without\nreciprocating their sovereign\u2019s goodness; private individuals who do\nnot repay the debt of water and earth;[361] wives and concubines who\nslight their marital lords; those who fail in their duties as acting\nsons,[362] or such as reap what advantages there are and then go off\nto their own homes; slaves who disregard their masters; official\nunderlings who are ungrateful to their superiors; working partners who\nbehave badly to the moneyed partner; culprits who escape from prison\nor abscond from their place of banishment; those who break their bail\nand get others into trouble; and those infatuated ones who have long\nomitted to pray and repent--all these, even though they have a set-off\nof good deeds, must pass through the misery of every ward. Those who\ninterfere with another man\u2019s F\u00eang-Shui; those who obstruct funeral\nobsequies or the completion of graves; those who in digging come on a\ncoffin and do not immediately cover it up, but injure the bones; those\nwho steal or avoid paying up their quota of grain;[363] those who lose\nall record of the site of their family burying-place; those who incite\nothers to commit crimes; those who promote litigation; those who write\nanonymous placards; those who repudiate a betrothal; those who forge\ndeeds and other documents; those who receive payment of a debt without\nsigning a receipt or giving up the I O U; those who counterfeit\nsignatures and seals; those who alter bills; those who injure\nposterity in any way--all these, and similar offenders, shall be\npunished according to the gravity of each offence. Devils with big\nknives will seize the erring ones and thrust them into the great\nGehenna; besides which they shall expiate their sins in the proper\nnumber of wards, and shall then be forwarded to the Fourth Court where\nthey shall be tortured and dismissed to the general Gehenna.\n\nO ye sons of men, on the 8th day of the 2nd moon, register an oath\nthat ye will do no evil. Thus you may escape the bitterness of these\nhells.\n\n\nTHE FOURTH COURT.\n\nThe Lord of the Five Senses reigns at the bottom of the great Ocean,\naway to the east below the Wu-chiao rock. His Court is many leagues\nwide, and is subdivided into sixteen wards, as follows:--\n\nIn the first, the wicked shades are hung up and water is continually\npoured over them. In the second, they are made to kneel on chains and\npieces of split bamboo. In the third, their hands are scalded with\nboiling water. In the fourth, their hands swell and stream with\nperspiration. In the fifth, their muscles are cut and their bones\npulled out. In the sixth, their shoulders are pricked with a trident\nand the skin rubbed with a hard brush. In the seventh, holes are bored\ninto their flesh. In the eighth, they are made to sit on spikes. In\nthe ninth, they wear iron clothes. In the tenth, they are placed under\nheavy pieces of wood, stone, earth, or tiles. In the eleventh, their\neyes are put out. In the twelfth, their mouths are choked with dust.\nIn the thirteenth, they are perpetually dosed with nasty medicines. In\nthe fourteenth, it is so slippery they are always falling down. In the\nfifteenth, their mouths are painfully pricked. In the sixteenth, their\nbodies are buried under broken stones, &c., the head alone being left\nout.\n\nThose who cheat the customs and evade taxes; those who repudiate their\nrent, use weighted scales, sell sham medicines, water their rice,[364]\nutter base coin, get deeply in debt, sell doctored[365] silks and\nsatins, scrape[366] or add size to linen cloth; those who do not make\nway for the cripples, old and young; those who encroach upon petty\ntrade rights[367] of old or young; those who delay in delivering\nletters entrusted to them; steal bricks from walls as they pass by, or\noil and candles from lamps;[368] poor people who do not behave\nproperly and rich people who are not compassionate to the poor; those\nwho promise a loan and go back on their word; those who see people\nsuffering from illness, yet cannot bring themselves to part with\ncertain useful drugs they may have in their possession; those who know\ngood prescriptions but keep them secret; those who throw vessels which\nhave contained medicine or broken cups and bottles into the street;\nthose who allow their mules and ponies to be a nuisance to other\npeople; those who destroy their neighbour\u2019s crops or his walls and\nfences; those who try to bewitch their enemies,[369] and those who try\nto frighten people in any way,--all these shall be punished according\nto the gravity of their offences, and shall be thrust by the devils\ninto the great Gehenna until their time arrives for passing into the\nFifth Court.\n\nO ye children of this world, if on the 18th day of the 2nd moon you\nregister an oath to sin no more, then you may escape the various wards\nof this Hall; and if to this book you add examples of rewards and\npunishments following upon virtues and crimes, and hand them down to\nposterity for the good of the human race, so that all who read may\nrepent them of their wickednesses--then they will be without sin, and\nyou not without merit!\n\n\nTHE FIFTH COURT.\n\nHis Infernal Majesty, Yen Lo,[370] said,--\u201cOur proper place is in the\nFirst Court; but, pitying those who die by foul means, and should be\nsent back to earth to have their wrongs redressed, we have moved our\njudgment-seat to the great hell at the bottom of the Ocean, away to\nthe north-east below the Wu-chiao rock, and have subdivided this hell\ninto sixteen wards for the torment of souls. All those shades who come\nbefore us have already suffered long tortures in the previous four\nCourts, whence, if they are hardened sinners, they are passed on after\nseven days to this Court, where if again found to be utterly hardened,\ncorruption will overtake them by the fifth or seventh day. All shades\ncry out either that they have left some vow unfulfilled, or that they\nwish to build a temple or a bridge, make a road, clean out a river or\nwell, publish some book teaching people to be virtuous, that they have\nnot released their due number of lives, that they have filial duties\nor funeral obsequies to perform, some act of kindness to repay, &c.,\n&c. For these reasons they pray to be allowed to return once more to\nthe light of day, and are always ready to make oath that henceforth\nthey will lead most exemplary lives. We, hearing this, reply,--In days\ngone by ye openly worked evil, but now that your boat has reached the\nmidstream, ye bethink yourselves of caulking the leak. For although\nP\u2018u-sa in his great mercy decreed that there should be a modification\nof torture, and that good works might be set off against evil, the\nsame being submitted to God and ratified by Divine Decree, to be\nfurther published in the realms below and in the Infernal City--yet we\nJudges of the Ten Courts have not yet received one single virtuous man\namongst us, who, coming in the flesh, might carry this _Divine\nPanorama_ back with him to the light of day. Truly those who suffer in\nhell and on earth cannot complain, and virtuous men are rare! But now\nye have come to my Court, having beheld your own wickedness in the\nmirror of sin. No more--bull-headed, horse-faced devils, away with\nthem to the Terrace[371] that they may once more gaze upon their lost\nhomes!\u201d\n\nThis Terrace is curved in front like a bow; it looks east, west, and\nsouth. It is eighty-one _li_ from one extreme to the other. The back\npart is like the string of the bow; it is enclosed by a wall of sharp\nswords. It is 490 feet high; its sides are knife-blades; and the whole\nis in sixty-three storeys. No good shade comes to this Terrace;\nneither do those whose balance of good and evil is exact. Wicked souls\nalone behold their homes close by and can see and hear what is going\non. They hear old and young talking together; they see their last\nwishes disregarded and their instructions disobeyed. Everything seems\nto have undergone a change. The property they scraped together with so\nmuch trouble is dissipated and gone. The husband thinks of taking\nanother wife; the widow meditates second nuptials.[372] Strangers are\nin possession of the old estate; there is nothing to divide amongst\nthe children. Debts long since paid are brought again for settlement,\nand the survivors are called upon to acknowledge claims upon the\ndeparted. Debts owed are lost for want of evidence, with endless\nrecriminations, abuse, and general confusion, all of which falls upon\nthe three families[373] of the deceased. They in their anger speak ill\nof him that is gone. He sees his children become corrupt, and his\nfriends fall away. Some, perhaps, for the sake of bygone times, may\nstroke the coffin and let fall a tear, departing quickly with a cold\nsmile. Worse than that, the wife sees her husband tortured in the\nyam\u00ean; the husband sees his wife victim to some horrible disease,\nlands gone, houses destroyed by flood or fire, and everything in\nunutterable confusion--the reward of former sins.[374] All souls,\nafter the misery of the Terrace, will be thrust into the great\nGehenna, and, when the amount of wickedness of each has been\nascertained, they will be passed through the sixteen wards for the\npunishment of evil hearts. In the Gehenna they will be buried under\nwooden pillars, bound with copper snakes, crushed by iron dogs, tied\ntightly hand and foot, be ripped open and have their hearts torn out,\nminced up and given to snakes, their entrails being thrown to dogs.\nThen, when their time is up, the pain will cease and their bodies\nbecome whole once more, preparatory to being passed through the\nsixteen wards.\n\nIn the first are non-worshippers and sceptics. In the second, those\nwho have destroyed or hurt living creatures. In the third, those who\ndo not fulfil their vows. In the fourth, believers in false doctrines,\nmagicians, and sorcerers. In the fifth, those who tyrannize over the\nweak but cringe to the strong; also those who openly wish for\nanother\u2019s death. In the sixth, those who try to put their misfortunes\non to other people\u2019s shoulders. In the seventh, those who lead immoral\nlives. In the eighth, those who injure others to benefit themselves.\nIn the ninth, those who are parsimonious and will not help people in\ntrouble. In the tenth, those who steal and involve the innocent. In\nthe eleventh, those who forget kindness or seek revenge. In the\ntwelfth, those who by pernicious drugs stir up others to quarrel,\nkeeping themselves out of harm\u2019s way. In the thirteenth, those who\ndeceive or spread false reports. In the fourteenth, those who love\nbrawling and implicate others. In the fifteenth, those who envy the\nvirtuous and wise. In the sixteenth, those who are lost in vice,\nevil-speakers, slanderers, and such like.\n\nAll who disbelieve the doctrine of Cause and Effect, who obstruct good\nworks, make a pretence of piety, talk of other people\u2019s sins, burn or\ninjure religious books, omit to fast when praying for the sick,\ninterfere with the adoration of Buddha, slander the priesthood, or, if\nscholars, abstain from instructing women and children; those who dig\nup graves and obliterate all traces thereof, set light to woods and\nforests, allow their servants to be careless in handling fire and thus\nendanger their neighbours\u2019 property; those who wantonly discharge\narrows and bolts, who try their strength against the sick or weak,\nthrow potsherds over a wall, poison fish, let off guns, catch birds\neither with net, sticky pole,[375] or trap; those who throw down salt\nto kill plants, who do not bury dead cats and venomous snakes deep in\nthe ground, who dig out corpses, who break the soil or alter their\nwalls and stoves at wrong seasons,[376] who encroach on the public\nroad or take possession of other people\u2019s land, who fill up wells and\ndrains, &c., &c.,--all these, when they return from the Terrace, shall\nfirst be tortured in the great Gehenna, and then such as are to have\ntheir hearts minced shall be passed into the sixteen wards, thence to\nbe sent on to the Sixth Court for the punishment of other crimes.\nThose who in life have not been guilty of the above sins, or, having\nsinned, did on the 8th day of the 1st moon, fasting, register a vow\nto sin no more, shall not only escape the punishments of this Court,\nbut shall also gain some further remission of torture in the Sixth\nCourt. Those, however, who are guilty of taking life, of gross\nimmorality, of stealing and implicating the innocent, of ingratitude\nand revenge, of infatuated vice which no warnings can turn from its\ncourse,--these shall not escape one jot of their punishments.\n\n\nTHE SIXTH COURT.\n\nThis Court is situated at the bottom of the great Ocean, due north of\nthe Wu-chiao rock. It is a vast, noisy Gehenna, many leagues in\nextent, and around it are sixteen wards.\n\nIn the first, the souls are made to kneel for long periods on iron\nshot. In the second, they are placed up to their necks in filth. In\nthe third, they are pounded till the blood runs out. In the fourth,\ntheir mouths are opened with iron pincers and filled full of needles.\nIn the fifth, they are bitten by rats. In the sixth, they are enclosed\nin a net of thorns and nipped by locusts. In the seventh, they are\ncrushed to a jelly. In the eighth, their skin is lacerated and they\nare beaten on the raw. In the ninth, their mouths are filled with\nfire. In the tenth, they are licked by flames. In the eleventh, they\nare subjected to noisome smells. In the twelfth, they are butted by\noxen and trampled on by horses. In the thirteenth, their hearts are\nscratched. In the fourteenth, their heads are rubbed till their skulls\ncome off. In the fifteenth, they are chopped in two at the waist. In\nthe sixteenth, their skin is taken off and rolled up into spills.\n\nThose discontented ones who rail against Heaven and revile Earth, who\nare always finding fault either with the wind, thunder, heat, cold,\nfine weather or rain; those who let their tears fall towards the\nnorth;[377] who steal the gold from the inside[378] or scrape the\ngilding from the outside of images; those who take holy names in vain,\nwho shew no respect for written paper, who throw down dirt and rubbish\nnear pagodas or temples, who use dirty cook-houses and stoves for\npreparing the sacrificial meats, who do not abstain from eating beef\nand dog-flesh;[379] those who have in their possession blasphemous or\nobscene books and do not destroy them, who obliterate or tear books\nwhich teach man to be good, who carve on common articles of household\nuse the symbol of the origin of all things,[380] the Sun and Moon and\nSeven Stars, the Royal Mother and the God of Longevity on the same\narticle,[381] or representations of any of the Immortals; those who\nembroider the Svastika[382] on fancy work, or mark characters on silk,\nsatin, or cloth, on banners, beds, chairs, tables, or any kind of\nutensil; those who secretly wear clothes adorned with the dragon and\nthe ph\u0153nix[383] only to be trampled under foot, who buy up grain and\nhold until the price is exorbitantly high--all these shall be thrust\ninto the great and noisy Gehenna, there to be examined as to their\nmisdeeds and passed accordingly into one of the sixteen wards, whence,\nat the expiration of their time, they will be sent for further\nquestioning on to the Seventh Court.\n\nAll dwellers upon earth who on the 8th day of the 3rd moon, fasting,\nregister a vow from that date to sin no more, and, on the 14th and\n15th of the 5th moon, the 3rd of the 8th moon, and the 10th of the\n10th moon, to practise abstinence, vowing moreover to exert themselves\nto convert others,--these shall escape the bitterness of all the\nabove-mentioned wards.\n\n\nTHE SEVENTH COURT.\n\nHis Infernal Majesty, T\u2018ai Shan, reigns at the bottom of the great\nOcean, away to the north-west, below the Wu-chiao rock. His is a\nvast, noisy Court, measuring many leagues in circumference and\nsubdivided into sixteen wards, as follows:--\n\nIn the first, the wicked souls are made to swallow their own blood. In\nthe second, their legs are pierced and thrust into a fiery pit. In the\nthird, their chests are cut open. In the fourth, their hair is torn\nout with iron combs. In the fifth, they are gnawed by dogs. In the\nsixth, great stones are placed on their heads. In the seventh, their\nskulls are pierced. In the eighth, they wear fiery clothes. In the\nninth, their skin is torn and pulled by pigs. In the tenth, they are\npecked by huge birds. In the eleventh, they are hung up and beaten on\nthe feet. In the twelfth, their tongues are pulled out and their jaws\nbored. In the thirteenth, they are disembowelled. In the fourteenth,\nthey are trampled on by mules and bitten by badgers. In the fifteenth,\ntheir fingers are ironed with hot irons. In the sixteenth, they are\nboiled in oil.\n\nAll mortals who practise eating red lead[384] and certain other\nnauseous articles,[385] who spend more than they should upon wine, who\nkidnap human beings for sale, who steal clothes and ornaments from\ncoffins, who break up dead men\u2019s bones for medicine, who separate\npeople from their relatives, who sell the girl brought up in the house\nto be their son\u2019s wife, who allow their wives[386] to drown female\nchildren, who stifle their illegitimate offspring, who unite to cheat\nanother in gambling, who act as tutors without being properly strict,\nand thus wrong their pupils, who beat and injure their slaves without\nestimating the punishment by the fault, who regard districts entrusted\nto their charge in the light of so much spoil, who disobey their\nelders, who talk at random and go back on their word, who stir up\nothers to quarrel and fight--all these shall, upon verification of\ntheir sins, be taken from the great Gehenna and passed through the\nproper wards, to be forwarded when their time has expired to the\nEighth Court, again to be tortured according to their deserts.\n\nAll things may not be used as drugs. It is bad enough to slay birds,\nbeasts, reptiles, and fishes, in order to prepare medicine for the\nsick; but to use red lead and many of the filthy messes in vogue is\nbeyond all bounds of decency, and those who foul their mouths with\nthese nasty mixtures, no matter how virtuous they may otherwise be,\nwill not only derive no benefit from saying their prayers, but will be\npunished for so doing without mercy.\n\nYe who hear these words make haste to repent! From to-day forbear to\ntake life, buy many birds and animals in order to set them free,[387]\nand every morning when you wash your teeth mutter a prayer to Buddha.\nThus, when your last hour comes, a good angel will stand by your side\nand purify you of your former sins.\n\nSome steal the bones of people who have been burnt to death or the\nbodies of illegitimate children, for the purpose of compounding\nmedicines; others steal skulls and bones (from graves) with the same\nobject. Worst of all are those who carry off bones by the basketful,\nusing the hard ones for making various articles and grinding down the\nsoft ones for the manufacture of pottery.[388] These, no matter what\nmay have been their good works on earth, will not obtain thereby any\nremission of punishment; but when they are brought down below, the\nRuler of the Infernal Regions will first pass them from the great\nGehenna into the proper wards, and will send instructions to the Tenth\nCourt that when they are born again on earth it shall be either\nwithout ears, or eyes, hand, foot, mouth, lips, or nose, or maimed in\nsome way or other. Yet such as have thus sinned may still avoid this\npunishment, if only they are willing to pray and repent, vowing never\nto sin again. Or if they buy coffins for the poor and persuade others\nto do likewise, by these means giving a decent burial to many\ncorpses--then, when the death-summons comes, the Spirits of the Home\nand Hearth will make a black mark upon the warrant, and punishment\nwill be remitted.\n\nSometimes, when there is a famine, people have nothing to eat and die\nof hunger, and wicked men, almost before the breath is out of their\nbodies, cut them up and sell their flesh to others for food--a horrid\ncrime indeed. Those who are guilty of such practices will, on arrival\nin the lower regions, be tortured in the various Courts for the space\nof forty-nine[389] days, and then the judge of the Tenth Court will be\ninstructed to notify the judge of the First Court to put them down in\nhis register for a new birth,--if among men, as hungry famished\noutcasts, and if among animals as loathing the food that falls to\ntheir lot, and by-and-by perishing of hunger. Such is their reward.\nBesides the above, those who have eaten what is unfit for food and\nwillingly continue to do so, will be punished either among men or\nanimals according to their deserts. Their throats will swell, and\nthough devoured by hunger they will be unable to swallow, and thus\ndie. Those who do not err a second time may be forgiven as they\ndeserve; but those who in times of distress subscribe money for the\nsufferers, prepare gruel, give away rice to the needy, or distribute\nginger tea[390] and soup in the open street, and thus sustain life a\nlittle longer and do real good to their fellow creatures--all these\nshall not only obtain remission of their sins, but carry on a balance\nof good to their account which shall ensure them a happy old age in\nthe life to come.[391]\n\nOf the above three clauses, two were proposed by the officials\nattached to this Seventh Court, the third by the Chief Justice of the\ngreat Gehenna, and the whole submitted together for the approval of\nGod, the following Rescript being obtained:--\u201cLet it be as proposed;\nlet the three clauses be copied into the _Divine Panorama_, and let\nthe officials concerned be promoted or rewarded. Also, in case of\ncrimes other than those already provided for, let such be punished\naccording to the statutes of the Rulers of the Four Continents on\nearth, and let any evasion of punishment and implication of innocent\npeople be at once reported by the proper officials for our\nconsideration. This from the Throne! Obey!\u201d\n\nO ye sons and daughters of men, if on the 27th of the 3rd moon,\nfasting and turned towards the north, ye register a vow to pray and\nrepent, and to publish the whole of the _Divine Panorama_ for the\nenlightenment of mankind, then ye may escape the bitterness of this\nSeventh Court.\n\n\nTHE EIGHTH COURT.\n\nHis Infernal Majesty, Tu Shih, reigns at the bottom of the great\nOcean, due east below the Wu-chiao rock, in a vast noisy Court many\nleagues in extent, subdivided into sixteen wards as follows:--\n\nIn the first, the wicked souls are rolled down mountains in carts. In\nthe second, they are shut up in huge saucepans. In the third, they are\nminced. In the fourth, their noses, eyes, mouths, &c. are stopped up.\nIn the fifth, their uvulas are cut off. In the sixth, they are exposed\nto all kinds of filth. In the seventh, their extremities are cut off.\nIn the eighth, their viscera[392] are fried. In the ninth, their\nmarrow is cauterized. In the tenth, their bowels are scratched. In the\neleventh, they are inwardly burned with fire. In the twelfth, they are\ndisembowelled. In the thirteenth, their chests are torn open. In the\nfourteenth, their skulls are split and their teeth dragged out. In the\nfifteenth, they are hacked and gashed. In the sixteenth, they are\npricked with steel prongs.\n\nThose who are unfilial, who do not nourish their relatives while alive\nor bury them when dead, who subject their parents to fright, sorrow,\nor anxiety--if they do not quickly repent them of their former sins,\nthe spirit of the Hearth will report their misdoings and gradually\ndeprive them of what prosperity they may be enjoying. Those who\nindulge in magic and sorcery will, after death, when they have been\ntortured in the other Courts, be brought here to this Court, and\ndragged backwards by bull-headed horse-faced devils to be thrust into\nthe great Gehenna. Then when they have been tortured in the various\nwards they will be passed on to the Tenth Court, whence at the\nexpiration of a _kalpa_[393] they will be sent back to earth with\nchanged heads and faces for ever to find their place amongst the brute\ncreation. But those who believe in the _Divine Panorama_, and on the\n1st of the 4th moon make a vow of repentance, repeating the same every\nnight and morning to the Spirit of the Hearth, shall, by virtue of one\nof three characters, _obedient_, _acquiescent_, or _repentant_, to be\ntraced on their foreheads at death by the Spirit of the Hearth,\nescape half the punishments from the first to the Seventh Court\ninclusive, and escape this Eighth Court altogether, being passed on to\nthe Ninth Court, where cases of arson and poisoning are investigated,\nand finally born again from the Tenth Court among mankind as before.\n\nTo this God added, \u201cWhosoever may circulate the _Divine Panorama_ for\nthe information of the world at large shall escape all punishment from\nthe First to the Eighth Court inclusive. Passing through the Ninth and\nTenth Courts, they shall be born again amongst men in some happy\nstate.\u201d\n\n\nTHE NINTH COURT.\n\nHis Infernal Majesty, P\u2018ing T\u00eang, reigns at the bottom of the great\nOcean, away to the south-west, below the Wu-chiao rock. His is the\nvast, circular hell of A-pi, many leagues in breadth, jealously\nenclosed by an iron net, and subdivided into sixteen wards, as\nfollows:--\n\nIn the first, the wicked souls have their bones beaten and their\nbodies scorched. In the second, their muscles are drawn out and their\nbones rapped. In the third, ducks eat their heart and liver. In the\nfourth, dogs eat their intestines and lungs. In the fifth, they are\nsplashed with hot oil. In the sixth, their heads are crushed in a\nframe, and their tongues and teeth are drawn out. In the seventh,\ntheir brains are taken out and their skulls filled with hedge-hogs. In\nthe eighth, their heads are steamed and their brains scraped. In the\nninth, they are dragged about by sheep till they drop to pieces. In\nthe tenth, they are squeezed in a wooden press and pricked on the\nhead. In the eleventh, their hearts are ground in a mill. In the\ntwelfth, boiling water drips on to their bodies. In the thirteenth,\nthey are stung by wasps. In the fourteenth, they are tortured by ants\nand maggots; they are then stewed, and finally wrung out (like\nclothes). In the fifteenth, they are stung by scorpions. In the\nsixteenth, they are tortured by venomous snakes, crimson and scarlet.\n\nAll who on earth have committed one of the ten great crimes, and have\ndeserved either the lingering death, decapitation, strangulation, or\nother punishment, shall, after passing through the tortures of the\nprevious Courts, be brought to this Court, together with those guilty\nof arson, of making _ku_ poison,[394] bad books, stupefying drugs, and\nmany other disgraceful acts. Then, if it be found that, hearkening to\nthe words of the _Divine Panorama_, they subsequently destroyed the\nblocks of these books, burnt their prescriptions, and ceased\npractising the magical art, they shall escape the punishments of this\nCourt and be passed on to the Tenth Court, thence to be born again\namongst the sons of men. But if, having heard the warnings of the\n_Divine Panorama_, they still continue to sin, from the Second to the\nEighth Court their tortures shall be increased. They shall be bound on\nto a hollow copper pillar, clasping it round with their hands and\nfeet. Then the pillar shall be filled with fierce fire, so as to burn\ninto their heart and liver; and afterwards their feet shall be plunged\ninto the great Gehenna of A-pi, knives shall be thrust into their\nlungs, they shall bite their own hearts, and gradually sink to the\nuttermost depths of hell, there to endure excruciating torments until\nthe victims of their wickedness have either recovered the property out\nof which they were cheated, or the life that was taken away from them,\nand until every trace of book, prescription, picture, &c. formerly\nused by these wicked souls has disappeared from the face of the earth.\nThen, and only then, may they pass into the Tenth Court to be born\nagain in one of the Six States of existence.\n\nO ye who have committed such crimes as these, on the 8th of the 4th\nmoon, or the 1st or 15th (of any moon), fasting swear that you will\nbuy up all bad books and magical pamphlets and utterly destroy them\nwith fire; or that you will circulate copies of the _Divine Panorama_\nto be a warning to others! Then, when your last moment is at hand, the\nSpirit of the Hearth will write on your forehead the two words _He\nobeyed_, and from the Second up to the Ninth Court your good deeds\nwill be rewarded by a diminution of such punishments as you have\nincurred. People in the higher ranks of life who secure incendiaries\nor murderers, who destroy the blocks of bad books, or publish notices\nwarning others, and offer rewards for the production of such books,\nwill be rewarded by the success of their sons and grandsons at the\npublic examinations. Poor people who, by a great effort, manage to\nhave the _Divine Panorama_ circulated for the benefit of mankind, will\nbe forwarded at once to the Tenth Court, and thence be born again in\nsome happy state on earth.\n\n\nTHE TENTH COURT.\n\nHis Infernal Majesty, Chuan Lun,[395] reigns in the Dark Land, due\neast, away below the Wu-chiao rock, just opposite the Wu-cho of this\nworld. There he has six bridges, of gold, silver, jade, stone, wood,\nand planks, over which all souls must pass. He examines the shades\nthat are sent from the other courts, and, according to their deserts,\nsends them back to earth as men, women, old, young, high, low, rich,\nor poor, forwarding monthly a list of their names to the judge of the\nFirst Court for transmission to F\u00eang-tu.[396]\n\nThe regulations provide that all beasts, birds, fishes, and insects,\nwhether biped, quadruped, or otherwise, shall after death become\n_chien_,[397] to be born again for long and short lives alternately.\nBut such as may possibly have taken life, and such as must necessarily\nhave taken life, will pass through a revolution of the Wheel, and\nthen, when their sins have been examined, they will be sent up on\nearth to receive the proper retribution. At the end of every year a\nreport will be forwarded to F\u00eang-tu.\n\nThose scholars who study the Book of Changes, or priests who chant\ntheir liturgies, cannot be tortured in the Ten Courts for the sins\nthey have committed. When they come to this Court their names and\nfeatures are taken down in a book kept for the purpose, and they are\nforwarded to Mother M\u00eang, who drives them on to the Terrace of\nOblivion and doses them with the draught of forgetfulness. Then they\nare born again in the world for a day, a week, or it may be a year,\nwhen they die once more; and now, having forgotten the holy words of\nthe Three Religions,[398] they are carried off by devils to the\nvarious Courts, and are properly punished for their former crimes.\n\nAll souls whose balance of good and evil is exact, whose period, or\nwhose crimes are many and good deeds few, as soon as their future\nstate has been decided,--man, woman, beautiful, ugly, comfort, toil,\nwealth, or poverty, as the case may be,--must pass through the Terrace\nof Oblivion.\n\nAmongst those shades, on their way to be born again in the world of\nhuman beings, there are often to be found women who cry out that they\nhave some old and bitter wrong to avenge,[399] and that rather than be\nborn again amongst men they would prefer to enter the ranks of hungry\ndevils.[400] On examining them more closely it generally comes out\nthat they are the virtuous victims of some wicked student, who may\nperhaps have an eye to their money, and accordingly dresses himself\nout to entrap them, or promises marriage when sometimes he has a wife\nalready, or offers to take care of an aged mother or a late husband\u2019s\nchildren. Thus the foolish women are beguiled, and put their property\nin the wicked man\u2019s hands. By-and-by he turns round upon and reviles\nthem, and, losing face in the eyes of their relatives and friends,\nwith no one to redress their wrong, they are driven to commit suicide.\nThen, hearing[401] that their seducer is likely to succeed at the\nexamination, they beg and implore to be allowed to go back and compass\nhis death. Now, although what they urge is true enough, yet that man\u2019s\ndestiny may not be worked out, or the transmitted effects of his\nancestors\u2019 virtue may not have passed away;[402] therefore, as a\ncompromise, these injured shades are allowed to send a spirit to the\nExamination Hall to hinder and confuse him in the preparation of his\npaper, or to change the names on the published list of successful\ncandidates; and finally, when his hour arrives, to proceed with the\nspirit who carries the death-summons, seize him, and bring him to the\nFirst Court of judgment.\n\nYe who on the 17th of the 4th moon swear to carry out the precepts of\nthe _Divine Panorama_, and frequently make these words the subject of\nyour conversation, may in the life to come be born again amongst men\nand escape official punishments, fire, flood, and all accidents to the\nbody.\n\nThe place where the Wheel of Fate goes round is many leagues in\nextent, enclosed on all sides by an iron palisade. Within are\neighty-one subdivisions, each of which has its proper officers and\nmagisterial appointments. Beyond the palisade there is a labyrinth of\n108,000 paths leading by direct and circuitous routes back to earth.\nInside it is as dark as pitch, and through it pass the spirits of\npriest and layman alike. But to one who looks from the outside\neverything is seen as clear as crystal, and the attendants who guard\nthe place all have the faces and features they had at their birth.\nThese attendants are chosen from virtuous people who in life were\nnoted for filial piety, friendship, or respect for life, and are sent\nhere to look after the working of the Wheel and such duties. If for a\nspace of five years they make no mistakes they are promoted to a\nhigher office; but if found to be lazy or careless they are reported\nto the Throne for punishment.\n\nThose who in life have been unfilial or have destroyed much life, when\nthey have been tortured in the various Courts are brought here and\nbeaten to death with peach twigs. They then become _chien_, and with\nchanged heads and altered faces are turned out into the labyrinth to\nproceed by the path which ends in the brute creation.\n\nBirds, beasts, fishes and insects, may after many myriads of _kalpas_\nagain resume their original shapes; and if there are any that during\nthree existences do not destroy life, they may be born amongst human\nbeings as a reward, a record being made and their names forwarded to\nthe First Court for approval. But all shades of men and women must\nproceed to the Terrace of Oblivion.\n\nMother M\u00eang was born in the Earlier Han Dynasty. In her childhood she\nstudied books of the Confucian school; when she grew up she chanted\nthe liturgies of Buddha. Of the past and the future she had no care,\nbut occupied herself in exhorting mankind to desist from taking life\nand become vegetarians. At eighty-one years of age her hair was white\nand her complexion like a child\u2019s. She lived and died a virgin,\ncalling herself simply M\u00eang; but men called her Mother M\u00eang. She\nretired to the hills and lived as a _religieuse_ until the Later Han.\nThen, because certain evil-doers, relying on their knowledge of the\npast, used to beguile women by pretending to have been their husbands\nin a former life, God commissioned Mother M\u00eang to build the Terrace of\nOblivion, and appointed her as guardian, with devils to wait upon her\nand execute her commands. It was arranged that all shades who had been\nsentenced in the Ten Courts to return in various conditions to earth\nshould first be dosed by her with a decoction of herbs, sweet, bitter,\nacrid, sour or salt. Thus they forgot everything that has previously\nhappened to them, and carry away with them to earth some slight\nweaknesses such as the mouth watering at the thought (of something\nnice), laughter inducing perspiration, fear inducing tears, anger\ninducing sobs, or spitting from nervousness. Good spirits who go back\ninto the world will have their senses of sight, hearing, smell, and\ntaste very much increased in power, and their physical strength and\nconstitution generally will be much bettered. But evil spirits will\nexperience the exact contrary of this, as a reward for previous sins\nand as a warning to others to pray and repent.\n\nThe Terrace is situated in front of the Ten Courts, outside the six\nbridges. It is square, measuring ten (Chinese) feet every way, and\nsurrounded by 108 small rooms. To the east there is a raised path, one\nfoot four inches in breadth, and in the rooms above-mentioned are\nprepared cups of forgetfulness ready for the arrival of the shades.\nWhether they swallow much or little it matters not; but sometimes\nthere are perverse devils who altogether refuse to drink. Then beneath\ntheir feet sharp blades start up, and a copper tube is forced down\ntheir throats, by which means they are compelled to swallow some. When\nthey have drunk, they are raised by the attendants and escorted back\nby the same path. They are next pushed on to the Bitter Bamboo\nfloating bridge, with torrents of rushing red water on either side.\nHalf way across they perceive written in large characters on a red\ncliff on the opposite side the following lines:--\n\n \u201cTo be a man is easy, but to act up to one\u2019s responsibilities as such\n is hard.\n Yet to be a man once again is harder still.\n\n For those who would be born again in some happy state there is no\n great difficulty;\n It is only necessary to keep mouth and heart in harmony.\u201d\n\nWhen the shades have read these words they try to jump on shore, but\nare beaten back into the water by two huge devils. One has on a black\nofficial hat and embroidered clothes; in his hand he holds a paper\npencil, and over his shoulder he carries a sharp sword. Instruments of\ntorture hang at his waist, fiercely he glares out of his large round\neyes and laughs a horrid laugh. His name is _Short Life_. The other\nhas a dirty face smeared with blood; he has on a white coat, an abacus\nin his hand and a rice sack over his shoulder. Round his neck hangs a\nstring of paper money; his brow contracts hideously, and he utters\nlong sighs. His name is _They have their reward_, and his duty is to\npush the shades into the red water. The wicked and foolish rejoice at\nthe prospect of being born once more as human beings; but the better\nshades weep and mourn that in life they did not lay up a store of\nvirtuous acts, and thus pass away from the state of mortals for\never.[403] Yet they all rush on to birth like an infatuated or drunken\ncrowd; and again, in their early childhood, hanker after the forbidden\nflavours.[404] Then, regardless of consequences, they begin to destroy\nlife, and thus forfeit all claims to the mercy and compassion of God.\nThey take no thought as to the end that must overtake them; and\nfinally, they bring themselves once more to the same horrid plight.\n\n\nFOOTNOTES:\n\n[340] The _Y\u00fc Li_ or _Divine Panorama_.\n\n[341] The Divine Ruler, immediately below God himself.\n\n[342] See No. XXVI., note 182.\n\n[343] See _Author\u2019s Own Record_ (in _Introduction_), note 28.\n\n[344] The three worst of the Six Paths.\n\n[345] That the state of one life is the result of behaviour in a\nprevious existence.\n\n[346] _Lit._--the skin purse (of his bones).\n\n[347] Buddhism, Taoism, and Confucianism.\n\n[348] Violent deaths are regarded with horror by the Chinese. They\nhold that a truly virtuous man always dies either of illness or old\nage.\n\n[349] Good people go to Purgatory in the flesh, and are at once passed\nup to Heaven without suffering any torture, or are sent back to earth\nagain.\n\n[350] The Supreme Ruler.\n\n[351] See No. I., note 36.\n\n[352] Supposed to be the gate of the Infernal Regions.\n\n[353] Hades.\n\n[354] Literally, \u201cten armfuls.\u201d\n\n[355] To Heaven, Earth, sovereign, and relatives.\n\n[356] Held to be a great relief to the spirits of the dead.\n\n[357] It is commonly believed that if the spirit of a murdered man can\nsecure the violent death of some other person he returns to earth\nagain as if nothing had happened, the spirit of his victim passing\ninto the world below and suffering all the misery of a disembodied\nsoul in his stead. See No. XLV., note 267.\n\n[358] A very common trick in China. The drunken bully Lu Ta in the\ncelebrated novel _Shui-hu_ saved himself by these means, and I have\nheard that the Mandarin who in the war of 1842 spent a large sum in\nconstructing a paddle-wheel steamer to be worked by men, hoping\nthereby to match the wheel-ships of the Outer Barbarians, is now\nexpiating his failure at a monastery in Fukien. _Apropos_ of which, it\nmay not be generally known that at this moment there are small\npaddle-wheel boats for Chinese passengers, plying up and down the\nCanton river, the wheels of which are turned by gangs of coolies who\nperform a movement precisely similar to that required on the\ntreadmill.\n\n[359] In order that their marriage destiny may not be interfered with.\nIt is considered disgraceful not to accept the ransom of a slave girl\nof 15 or 16 years of age. See No. XXVI., note 185.\n\n[360] The soil of China belongs, every inch of it, to the Emperor.\nConsequently, the people owe him a debt of gratitude for permitting\nthem to live upon it.\n\n[361] Do their duty as men and women.\n\n[362] A Chinaman may have three kinds of fathers; (1) his real father,\n(2) an adopted father, such as an uncle without children to whom he\nhas been given as heir, and (3) the man his widowed mother may marry.\nThe first two are to all intents and purposes equal; the third is\nentitled only to one year\u2019s mourning instead of the usual three.\n\n[363] As taxes.\n\n[364] Visitors to Peking may often see the junkmen at T\u2018ung-chow\npouring water by the bucketful on to newly-arrived cargoes of Imperial\nrice in order to make up the right weight and conceal the amount they\nhave filched on the way.\n\n[365] That is, with a false gloss on them.\n\n[366] In order to raise to nap and give an appearance of strength and\ngoodness.\n\n[367] Costermongers and others acquire certain rights to doorsteps or\nsnug corners in Chinese cities which are not usually infringed by\ncompetitors in the same line of business. Chair-coolies,\ncarrying-coolies, ferrymen, &c., also claim whole districts as their\nparticular field of operations and are very jealous of any\ninterference. I know of a case in which the right of \u201cscavengering\u201d a\ntown had been in the same family for generations, and no one dreamt of\ntrying to take it out of their hands.\n\n[368] Chiefly alluding to small temples where some pious spirit may\nhave lighted a lamp or candle to the glory of his favourite P\u2018u-sa.\n\n[369] This is done either by making a figure of the person to be\ninjured and burning it in a slow fire, like the old practice of the\nwax figure in English history; or by obtaining his nativity\ncharacters, writing them out on a piece of paper and burning them in a\ncandle, muttering all the time whatsoever mischief it is hoped will\nbefall him.\n\n[370] Popularly known as the Chinese Pluto. The Indian _Yama_.\n\n[371] The celebrated \u201cSee-one\u2019s-home Terrace.\u201d\n\n[372] Regarded by the Chinese with intense disgust.\n\n[373] Father\u2019s, mother\u2019s, and wife\u2019s families.\n\n[374] I know of few more pathetic passages throughout all the\nexquisite imagery of the Divine Comedy than this in which the guilty\nsoul is supposed to look back to the home he has but lately left and\ngaze in bitter anguish on his desolate hearth and broken household\ngods. For once the gross tortures of Chinese Purgatory give place to\nas refined and as dreadful a punishment as human ingenuity could well\ndevise.\n\n[375] A long pole tipped with a kind of birdlime is cautiously\ninserted between the branches of a tree, and then suddenly dabbed on\nto some unsuspecting sparrow.\n\n[376] If this is done in Winter or Spring the Spirits of the Hearth\nand Threshold are liable to catch cold.\n\n[377] I presume because God sits with his face to the south.\n\n[378] Pious and wealthy people often give orders for an image of a\ncertain P\u2018u-sa to be made with an ounce or so of gold inside.\n\n[379] Primarily, because no living thing should be killed for food.\nThe ox and the dog are specified because of their kindly services to\nman in tilling the earth and guarding his home.\n\n[380] The symbol of the Yin and the Yang, so ably and so poetically\nexplained by Mr. Alabaster in his pamphlet on the Doctrine of the\nCh\u2018i.\n\n[381] One being male and the other being female. This calls to mind\nthe extreme modesty of a celebrated French lady, who would not put\nbooks by male and female authors on the same shelf.\n\n[382] The symbol on Buddha\u2019s heart; more commonly known to the western\nworld as Thor\u2019s Hammer.\n\n[383] Emblems of Imperial dignity.\n\n[384] Supposed to confer immortality.\n\n[385] Unfit for translation.\n\n[386] This is ingeniously expressed, as if _mothers_ were the prime\nmovers in such unnatural acts.\n\n[387] On f\u00eate days at temples it is not uncommon to see cages full of\nbirds hawked about among the holiday-makers, that those who feel\ntwinges of conscience may purchase a sparrow or two and relieve\nthemselves from anxiety by the simple means of setting them at\nliberty.\n\n[388] Bones are used in glazing porcelain, to give a higher finish.\n\n[389] The seven periods of seven days each which occur immediately\nafter a death and at which the departed shade is appeased with food\nand offerings of various kinds.\n\n[390] To warm them.\n\n[391] When they are born again on earth.\n\n[392] Heart, lungs, spleen, liver, and kidneys.\n\n[393] Many millions of years.\n\n[394] The following recipe for this deadly poison is given in the\nwell-known Chinese work _Instructions to Coroners_:--\u201cTake a quantity\nof insects of all kinds and throw them into a vessel of any kind;\ncover them up, and let a year pass away before you look at them again.\nThe insects will have killed and eaten each other, until there is only\none survivor, and this one is _Ku_.\u201d\n\n[395] He who \u201cturns the wheel;\u201d a _chakravartti raja_.\n\n[396] The capital city of the Infernal Regions.\n\n[397] The ghosts of dead people are believed to be liable to death.\nThe ghost of a ghost is called _chien_.\n\n[398] On the \u201cThree Systems.\u201d See note 347, _Appendix_.\n\n[399] Women are considered in China to be far more revengeful than\nmen.\n\n[400] See _Author\u2019s Own Record_ (in _Introduction_), note 28.\n\n[401] While in Purgatory.\n\n[402] It was mentioned above that the rewards for virtue would be\ncontinued to a man\u2019s sons and grandsons.\n\n[403] That is, go to heaven.\n\n[404] Of meat, wine, &c.\n\n\n\n\nAPPENDIX B.\n\n\nANCESTRAL WORSHIP.\n\n\u201cThe rudimentary form of all religion is the propitiation of dead\nancestors, who are supposed to be still existing, and to be capable of\nworking good or evil to their descendants.\u201d--SPENCER\u2019S ESSAYS. Vol.\niii., p. 102.--_The Origin of Animal Worship._\n\n\nBILOCATION.\n\n\u201cAs a general rule, people are apt to consider it impossible for a man\nto be in two places at once, and indeed a saying to that effect has\nbecome a popular saw. But the rule is so far from being universally\naccepted, that the word \u2018bilocation\u2019 has been invented to express the\nmiraculous faculty possessed by certain saints of the Roman Church, of\nbeing in two places at once; like St. Alfonso di Liguori, who had the\nuseful power of preaching his sermon in church while he was confessing\npenitents at home.\u201d--TYLOR\u2019S _Primitive Culture_. Vol. i., p. 447.\n\n\nBURIAL RITES.\n\n\u201cHence the various burial rites--the placing of weapons and valuables\nalong with the body, the daily bringing of food to it, &c. I hope\nhereafter, to show that with such knowledge of facts as he has, this\ninterpretation is the most reasonable the savage can arrive\nat.\u201d--SPENCER\u2019S ESSAYS. Vol. iii., p. 104.--_The Origin of Animal\nWorship._\n\n\nDREAMS.\n\n\u201cThe distinction so easily made by us between our life in dreams and our\nreal life, is one which the savage recognises in but a vague way; and he\ncannot express even that distinction which he perceives. When he awakes,\nand to those who have seen him lying quietly asleep, describes where he\nhas been, and what he has done, his rude language fails to state the\ndifference between seeing and dreaming that he saw, doing and dreaming\nthat he did. From this inadequacy of his language it not only results\nthat he cannot truly represent this difference to others, but also\nthat he cannot truly represent it to himself.\u201d--SPENCER\u2019S ESSAYS. Vol.\niii., pp. 103, 104.\n\n\nSHADE OR SHADOW.\n\n\u201cThe ghost or phantasm seen by the dreamer or the visionary is an\nunsubstantial form, like a shadow, and thus the familiar term of the\n_shade_ comes in to express the soul. Thus the Tasmanian word for the\nshadow is also that for the spirit; the Algonquin Indians describe a\nman\u2019s soul as _otahchuk_, \u2018his shadow;\u2019 the Quich\u00e9 language uses\n_natub_ for \u2018shadow, soul;\u2019 the Arawac _ueja_ means \u2018shadow, soul,\nimage;\u2019 the Abipones made the one word _lo\u00e1kal_ serve for \u2018shadow,\nsoul, echo, image.\u2019\u201d--TYLOR\u2019S _Primitive Culture_. Vol. i., p. 430.\n\n\nSHADOW.\n\n\u201cThus the dead in Purgatory knew that Dante was alive when they saw\nthat, unlike theirs, his figure cast a shadow on the ground.\u201d--TYLOR\u2019S\n_Primitive Culture_. Vol. i., p. 431.\n\n\nTHE SOUL.\n\n\u201cThe savage, conceiving a corpse to be deserted by the active\npersonality who dwelt in it, conceives this active personality to be\nstill existing, and his feelings and ideas concerning it form the\nbasis of his superstitions.\u201d--SPENCER\u2019S ESSAYS. Vol. iii., p.\n103.--_The Origin of Animal Worship._\n\n\nTRANSMIGRATION.\n\n\u201cWhether the Buddhists receive the full Hindu doctrine of the\nmigration of the individual soul from birth to birth, or whether they\nrefine away into metaphysical subtleties the notion of continued\npersonality, they do consistently and systematically hold that a\nman\u2019s life in former existences is the cause of his now being what he\nis, while at this moment he is accumulating merit or demerit whose\nresult will determine his fate in future lives.\u201d--TYLOR\u2019S _Primitive\nCulture_. Vol. ii., p. 12.\n\n\nTRANSMIGRATION.\n\n\u201cMemory, it is true, fails generally to recall these past births, but\nmemory, as we know, stops short of the beginning even of this present\nlife.\u201d--TYLOR\u2019S _Primitive Culture_. Vol. ii., p. 12.\n\n\nTRANSMIGRATION.\n\n\u201cAs for believers, savage or civilised, in the great doctrine of\nmetempsychosis, these not only consider that an animal may have a\nsoul, but that this soul may have inhabited a human being, and thus\nthe creature may be in fact their own ancestor or once familiar\nfriend.\u201d--TYLOR\u2019S _Primitive Culture_. Vol. i., p. 469.\n\n\nTREE-SOULS.\n\n\u201cOrthodox Buddhism decided against the tree-souls, and consequently\nagainst the scruple to harm them, declaring trees to have no mind nor\nsentient principle, though admitting that certain dewas or spirits do\nreside in the body of trees, and speak from within them.\u201d--TYLOR\u2019S\n_Primitive Culture_. Vol. i., p. 475.\n\n\nTHOS. DE LA RUE AND CO., PRINTERS, BUNHILL ROW, LONDON.\n\n\n\n\nINDEX TO THE NOTES.\n\n\n VOL. PAGE NOTE\n\n Abstinence from Wine and Meat i. 23 52\n\n Actors i. 218 188\n\n Adoption i. 386 310\n \u201e ii. 156 137\n \u201e ii. 272 256\n\n Adulteration ii. 332 320\n\n Age of graduates i. 345 274\n\n Age to marry i. 113 112\n\n Alchemy i. 65 83\n \u201e ii. 313 299\n\n Alms\u2019-bowl i. 246 211\n \u201e i. 395 320\n\n Amusements, Literary i. 215 186\n\n Anatomy, Chinese ii. 253 235\n\n \u201cAngels\u201d of Taoism i. 17 48\n\n Arbiter of Life and Death i. 226 194\n\n Archery i. 91 92\n\n Aristocracy, The i. 186 156\n\n Auspicious Sites i. 336 268\n\n\n Bad Sons i. 147 131\n \u201e \u201e ii. 212 190\n \u201e \u201e ii. 281 267\n\n Bambooing i. 55 76\n\n Banquets, Theatrical Entertainments during ii. 54 41\n\n Beadles ii. 17 18\n\n Beauty, Chinese ii. 123 94\n\n Beggars i. 246 212\n\n Betrothals i. 108 108\n \u201e i. 193 165\n \u201e i. 227 195\n\n Bikshu i. 395 320\n\n Blowing into meat ii. 306 292\n\n Blue China Epoch ii. 303 290\n\n B\u00f4dhisatva i. 208 182\n\n Bridal procession i. 338 269\n\n Bridegroom living in bride\u2019s family i. 193 163\n\n Brotherly deference i. 314 247\n \u201e dependence i. 318 250\n\n Brothers having separate establishments ii. 322 314\n\n Brown deer of Formosa i. 399 329\n\n Buddha, Repeating the name of i. 367 293\n\n \u201cBull\u2019s hide\u201d trick, The ii. 180 163\n\n Burials i. 197 171\n\n Burying stray bones, &c. ii. 147 130\n\n\n Caligraphy ii. 174 157\n\n Capping verses i. 332 262\n \u201e \u201e ii. 57 44\n\n Cash i. 6 42\n \u201e ii. 171 148\n\n Cat and dog Restaurant ii. 308 294\n\n Catalepsy i. 4 40\n \u201e ii. 73 55\n\n Celibacy i. 23 52\n\n Censorate, The i. 229 197\n\n Chai-mui i. 333 265\n\n Chamber of Horrors i. 93 94\n\n Change of residence i. 321 251\n\n Charitable gifts i. 137 129\n\n Chess, Chinese i. 46 66\n\n Chou, General ii. 221 202\n\n Chowry ii. 71 52\n\n Clay-image makers ii. 276 261\n\n Clepsydra i. 49 70\n\n \u201cClimbing trees to catch fish\u201d ii. 305 291\n\n Coffins i. 102 104\n \u201e i. 197 172\n \u201e deposited in Temples i. 237 203\n \u201e for poor people ii. 316 303\n \u201e Sleeping in ii. 354 336\n\n Concubines i. 395 321\n\n Confucius, Descendants of i. 33 61\n\n Conservatism i. 427 348\n\n Contemplation, Priestly ii. 71 51\n\n Coroners ii. 196 175\n\n Counting cattle, Method of ii. 255 239\n\n Cow-herd and the Lady i. 27 55\n\n Cricket-fighting i. 75 85\n\n Crows, Feeding the i. 279 229\n\n Cumquats ii. 301 289\n\n Cycle, The Chinese i. 180 152\n\n Cynthia, The Chinese i. 171 147\n\n\n Damon and Pythias i. 166 143\n\n Death i. 150 134\n \u201e Fear of i. 101 103\n\n Death-summons, The i. 150 134\n\n Decapitation ii. 78 59\n\n Degrees, The three i. 1 37\n\n Devils, Good and bad ii. 201 179\n\n Dice ii. 145 125\n\n Divorce i. 360 288\n\n Doctors ii. 293 279\n\n Dogs, Chinese ii. 309 296\n\n Dolphin, Fresh-water ii. 43 31\n\n _Double-entendres_ ii. 176 160\n\n Dragon-boat festival ii. 168 142\n\n Dragons ii. 112 84\n \u201e ii. 349 331\n\n Dreams ii. 250 231\n\n Dwarfs i. 224 193\n\n Drunkenness i. 30 59\n \u201e i. 365 292\n \u201e ii. 30 23\n\n\n Eating ii. 111 83\n\n Education i. 297 237\n \u201e ii. 322 313\n\n Elixir of Immortality i. 19 49\n \u201e \u201e ii. 168 143\n\n Examinations, Competitive i. 195 168\n \u201e \u201e ii. 64 48\n \u201e \u201e ii. 91 71\n\n Eye, Pupils of the i. 8 43\n\n\n Fa Hsien\u2019s journey ii. 232 212\n\n Fabulous Lion ii. 343 327\n\n Facing the South ii. 103 76\n\n Falconry i. 22 51\n\n Fan, An Autumn i. 361 289\n\n Fantan i. 421 343\n\n Fatalism i. 340 270\n\n Feet of betrothed tied together i. 431 354\n\n F\u00eang-Shui ii. 322 312\n\n Feudal Governor ii. 287 273\n\n \u201c_Fianc\u00e9_,\u201d Death of a i. 99 101\n\n Figure-head ii. 54 40\n\n Fire-wells ii. 238 220\n\n Flageolets i. 28 58\n\n Folk-lore in the North and South ii. 329 319\n\n Fondness for children i. 401 332\n\n Foot-binding i. 192 161\n\n Fortune-tellers i. 47 68\n\n Foundries, Iron ii. 216 194\n\n Four Books, The i. 297 237\n\n Four Seas, The ii. 116 89\n\n Fox influence i. 32 60\n\n Foxes, Soothsayers possessed by ii. 358 339\n\n\n Gambling i. 421 343\n\n Ganges, The ii. 28 22\n\n Gates of a city shut at night ii. 262 243\n\n Geese i. 255 217\n\n \u201cGentleman,\u201d The Chinese i. 168 145\n\n Geomancy i. 227 195\n\n Gioros i. 66 84\n\n Girdles, The pearl i. 283 230\n\n Glass i. 249 214\n \u201e ii. 233 216\n\n Go-betweens i. 187 157\n \u201e ii. 154 135\n\n God of War, The i. 2 39\n\n \u201cGolden lilies\u201d i. 188 159\n\n \u201cGolden Orchid\u201d Societies i. 196 170\n\n Gongs ii. 105 78\n\n Good fortune, Absorbing only a certain\n quantity of i. 342 271\n\n Graduates by purchase i. 202 177\n\n Graduates, Senior i. 199 175\n\n Grave, The i. 240 207\n\n Great beam, Fixing the ii. 267 247\n\n Greed ii. 74 56\n\n\n Han dynasty i. 258 219\n\n Han-lin, The Chinese National Academy i. 195 169\n\n Heart, The i. 96 97,\n 98\n\n Homicide i. 353 285\n\n Honesty in olden times ii. 250 232\n\n \u201cHsi-y\u00fcan-lu,\u201d The i. 98 100\n\n \u201cHu,\u201d The name i. 89 90\n\n Hu\u00e9 i. 397 325\n\n Human life, Value of ii. 338 323\n\n Hungry devils ii. 270 252\n\n\n Immortality i. 157 139\n\n Immortals, Record of the ii. 88 68\n\n Imperial mandates ii. 240 223\n\n Impressment i. 220 190\n\n Infernal Regions ii. 95 72\n \u201e \u201e ii. 354 335\n\n Inheritance, Law of ii. 345 328\n\n Initiation of a Priest ii. 69 50\n\n Inner apartments i. 53 74\n \u201e \u201e i. 252 215\n \u201e \u201e ii. 46 33\n\n\n Jelly-fish ii. 332 321\n\n Judas tree ii. 151 133\n\n Judges ii. 96 74\n\n Jugglers ii. 189 172\n\n\n Khakkharam, The i. 395 320\n\n Kangs ii. 133 114\n\n Keeping secret professional knowledge ii. 255 238\n\n Kidnapping i. 183 154\n\n Kite-flying Festival ii. 268 250\n\n Knife Hill, The ii. 205 184\n\n Kot\u2018ow, The i. 388 314\n\n K\u2018u-ts\u2018an ii. 255 237\n\n Kuan-yin i. 241 208\n\n\n Lanterns, Feast of i. 99 102\n\n Li T\u2018ai-poh ii. 144 121\n\n Lictors ii. 205 182\n\n Lighting the Eyes ii. 224 203\n\n Lingering death, The i. 396 322\n\n Literary chancellor ii. 284 271\n\n Literati, The ii. 36 29\n\n Literature, God of ii. 320 307\n\n Liu Ch\u2018\u00fcan and the melon ii. 351 334\n\n Living Lictors of Purgatory, The i. 207 180\n\n Loans ii. 171 146\n\n Locusts ii. 242 224\n\n Lohans ii. 321 311\n\n Long Robes ii. 273 257\n\n Lots, Drawing ii. 73 54\n\n Love-matches i. 115 113\n\n Lucifer Matches ii. 120 92\n\n Lunatics ii. 30 23\n\n L\u00fc Tung-pin ii. 296 284\n\n\n Magic Sword i. 62 80\n\n Mandarin Dialect i. 398 327\n\n Manslaughter i. 222 192\n\n Marriage Ceremonies i. 10 45\n \u201e \u201e i. 181 153\n \u201e \u201e i. 227 195\n \u201e \u201e i. 228 196\n\n Marriages i. 108 109\n \u201e i. 193 165\n\n Marrying a second time i. 112 110\n\n Mars, The Chinese i. 2 39\n\n Medical testimonials ii. 292 278\n\n Memorial tablet, Inking ii. 224 203\n\n Mercy, The Goddess of i. 241 208\n\n Messengers of good tidings ii. 252 234\n\n Milky way, The i. 152 135\n\n Miracles i. 396 323\n\n \u201cMirror and Listen\u201d trick ii. 251 233\n\n Misappropriation of funds ii. 224 204\n\n Moon, The Goddess of the i. 19 49\n \u201e The Lady of the i. 19 49\n\n Mothers-in-law i. 315 249\n\n Mourning for a father i. 199 174\n\n Mules ii. 242 225\n\n Murders i. 230 198\n\n\n Names, Family i. 92 93\n \u201e Personal ii. 132 111\n\n Night, Divisions of the i. 215 187\n\n Nine grades of official life i. 388 313\n\n Nunneries i. 262 221\n\n\n Oath of confederation ii. 146 127\n\n Oblivion, Potion of ii. 207 189\n\n Official corruption ii. 79 60\n \u201e responsibility i. 232 199\n\n Officials i. 237 202\n\n Old age ii. 31 24\n\n Olive, the sign of peace i. 324 256\n\n\n Paper men i. 49 71\n \u201e money i. 391 317\n \u201e \u201e ii. 172 150\n\n Pao Shu i. 166 143\n\n Patra, The i. 395 320\n \u201e \u201e i. 246 211\n\n Pawn-shops i. 198 173\n\n Persia ii. 25 21\n\n Ph\u0153nix Tower ii. 270 253\n\n Physiognomy, Professors of ii. 290 275\n\n Planchette ii. 295 283\n\n Playing _wei-ch\u2018i_ for money ii. 271 254\n\n Poetical proficiency i. 33 62\n\n Police system i. 221 191\n\n Politeness ii. 203 181\n\n Poor scholars i. 160 142\n\n Pope of the Taoists i. 118 114\n\n Porterage ii. 181 164\n\n Posthumous Honours i. 305 241\n\n Praying for good or bad weather ii. 294 282\n\n Praying-mat ii. 183 166\n\n Precedence at table i. 332 261\n\n Predestination i. 48 69\n \u201e i. 156 138\n\n Primogeniture i. 203 179\n\n Prisoners in China i. 372 299\n \u201e \u201e ii. 96 73\n \u201e \u201e ii. 261 242\n\n P\u2018u-hsien, God of Action ii. 232 214\n\n Pulse, The i. 39 64\n\n Punishments i. 381 306\n\n Pupils taken by priests ii. 119 91\n\n Purgatory, Capital of ii. 238 220\n\n\n Quail-fighting i. 75 85\n\n Quail\u2019s Tail, A i. 209 183\n\n\n Rebel, The first ii. 52 37\n\n Red-garment figure, The i. 19 50\n\n Red-haired barbarians ii. 179 162\n\n Relationship, Test of ii. 278 264\n\n Religion and the drama i. 345 277\n\n Resemblance between soul and body ii. 280 265\n\n Retinues of mandarins i. 389 315\n \u201e \u201e ii. 174 155\n \u201e \u201e ii. 175 158\n\n Returning invitations ii. 227 206\n\n Revenge i. 310, 243,\n 311 244\n \u201e for adultery i. 62 81\n\n Reward of filial piety i. 351 283\n\n Rising when spoken to ii. 280 266\n\n Roc, The ii. 341 325\n\n Rosary, The Buddhist i. 369 295\n\n Royal Mother, The ii. 187 170\n\n Rulers of animal and vegetable kingdoms i. 292 235\n\n Running water ii. 110 82\n\n\n Sacred edict, The i. 203 179\n\n Sale of children i. 183 154\n \u201e degrees ii. 170 144\n\n Salt monopoly ii. 215 192\n\n \u201cSame-year men\u201d i. 136 128\n\n Saving life ii. 200 178\n \u201e \u201e ii. 214 191\n\n Scribbling and carving names ii. 123 96\n\n Sea-serpent, The ii. 113 86\n\n Secret societies i. 196 170\n\n Sections of Purgatory, The nine ii. 205 183\n\n Senses, The five i. 259 220\n\n Separation of sexes ii. 167 141\n\n Shaking hands i. 287 233\n \u201e \u201e ii. 151 134\n\n Sham entertainment i. 323 254\n\n Shampooing ii. 53 38\n\n \u201cShang-yang\u201d brings rain ii. 131 109\n\n \u201cShoes\u201d of silver i. 148 133\n\n Short weights ii. 325 315\n\n Shun, The Emperor i. 37 63\n\n Shun Chih, The Emperor ii. 184 167\n\n Sickness i. 107 107\n\n Six Boards, The i. 26 54\n\n Slave-girls\u2019 feet i. 430 353\n\n Slavery i. 211 185\n\n Small feet i. 76 86\n \u201e \u201e i. 192 161\n \u201e waists ii. 47 35\n\n Sons i. 64 82\n\n Spirit calling i. 189 160\n \u201e entering another\u2019s body ii. 24 20\n\n Spirits, Disembodied i. 79 87\n \u201e \u201e i. 119 115\n \u201e \u201e i. 123 119\n \u201e \u201e i. 157 139\n\n Spiritualistic _s\u00e9ances_ ii. 133 112\n\n Sponge, A i. 248 213\n\n Spring festival ii. 186 169\n\n Squeezes i. 219 189\n\n Staff of Buddhist priests, The i. 395 320\n\n Stealing, Pardonable ii. 217 196\n\n Strong rooms ii. 172 149\n\n Styx, The ii. 216 193\n\n Subscriptions ii. 220 201\n\n Substantiality of ghosts i. 239 205\n \u201e \u201e ii. 236 219\n\n Substitution theory i. 334 267\n\n Suicide i. 311 244\n \u201e Meritorious ii. 142 120\n\n Superior man, The i. 168 145\n\n Supernatural government i. 292 235\n\n Supreme Ruler, The i. 242 209\n\n Surnames, Common i. 210 184\n\n Sutra, The Diamond i. 238 204\n\n\n Tails of horses not cut ii. 286 272\n\n Taking life i. 79 88\n\n Talking when born i. 243 210\n\n Tao i. 14 46\n\n Taot\u2018ai ii. 229 207\n\n Tartar general ii. 128 106\n\n Temples, Repairs to ii. 127 105\n\n Theatricals i. 218 188\n\n Threshing-floors ii. 236 218\n\n Thunder, God of i. 43 65\n \u201e \u201e ii. 112 85\n\n Ting P\u2018u-lang ii. 109 80\n\n Titles of Nobility i. 305 241\n\n Torture ii. 81 62\n \u201e Supply of instruments of ii. 238 221\n\n Tree worship ii. 72 53\n\n Trousseau, Bride\u2019s i. 256 218\n\n Tung-t\u2018ing Lake i. 271 226\n\n Types of friendship i. 166 143\n\n Tz\u016d-ang, a Chinese Landseer ii. 287 274\n\n\n Ulysses, A Chinese i. 91 91\n\n Ushnisha, The ii. 320 310\n\n\n Valuables in coffins i. 311 245\n\n Verdict i. 56 78\n\n Visiting the tutor ii. 126 103\n\n Vital spots on the body ii. 356 338\n\n\n Wang Wei, The poet ii. 149 132\n\n Washing-blocks ii. 315 301\n\n Watchmen i. 51 72\n\n Wedding-presents i. 28 57\n\n Wei-ch\u2018i ii. 268 249\n\n W\u00ean-shu, the God of Wisdom ii. 232 214\n\n White Lily sect ii. 189 171\n\n Widowers ii. 183 165\n\n Widows ii. 39 30\n\n Windows i. 61 79\n\n Wine ii. 259, 240,\n 260 241\n\n Wine-cup upside down, Turning the i. 264 224\n\n Wine taken hot ii. 144 122\n\n Witnesses in a court of justice ii. 156 136\n\n Women ride astride i. 354 286\n\n Wooden fish, The ii. 195 174\n\n Works of supererogation i. 426 346\n\n Worldly-mindedness ii. 312 298\n\n Wu Wang i. 278 228\n\n\n Yam\u00ean i. 2 38\n\n Yang Ta-hung ii. 310 297\n\n Yang-tsze, The ii. 176 159\n\n Years, Names of i. 113 111\n\n Yellow girdles i. 66 84\n\n _Yin_ and the _yang_, The i. 176 150\n\n Yojana, A i. 394 319\n\n Y\u00fc-chiao-li, The ii. 164 140\n\n\n\n\n_BY THE SAME AUTHOR:--_\n\n\n CHINESE SKETCHES.\n Demy 8vo. pp. 204.\n\n CHINESE WITHOUT A TEACHER.\n Being a Collection of Easy and Useful Sentences in the Mandarin\n Dialect, with a Vocabulary. Post 8vo. pp. 60, paper cover.\n\n DICTIONARY OF COLLOQUIAL IDIOMS.\n In the Mandarin Dialect. Demy 4to, half bound.\n\n FROM SWATOW TO CANTON OVERLAND.\n Demy 8vo. pp. 76, paper cover.\n\n A GLOSSARY OF REFERENCE,\n on subjects connected with the Far East. Demy 8vo. pp. 184,\n paper cover.\n\n HAND-BOOK OF THE SWATOW DIALECT.\n With a Vocabulary. Demy 8vo. pp. 60, paper cover.\n\n RECORD OF THE BUDDHISTIC KINGDOMS.\n Translated from the Chinese. Demy 8vo. pp. 130, paper cover.\n\n SYNOPTICAL STUDIES IN THE CHINESE LANGUAGE.\n Demy 8vo. pp. 118, half bound.\n\n THE SAN TZU CHING;\n or, Three Character Classic and the Ch\u2018ien Tz\u016d W\u00ean or 1,000\n Character Essay Metrically translated. Post 8vo. pp. 28, paper\n cover.\n\n A SHORT HISTORY OF KOOLANGSU.\n Demy 8vo. pp. 38, paper cover.\n\n * * * * *\n\nTRANSCRIBER'S NOTE\n\nThis book was published in two volumes, of which this is the second.\nThe first volume was released as Project Gutenberg ebook #xxxxx,\navailable at https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/xxxxx. Referenced content\nnot present in this electronic text can be found in Volume I.\nThe table of contents is reproduced as printed in Volume I.\n\nItalic text is denoted by _underscores_.\n\nObvious typographical errors repaired. Punctuation, spelling,\nhyphenation, use of accented characters and stylistic presentation\nstandardized when a predominant preference was found in this book.\nCapitalization and hyphenation of Chinese personal names has been\nstandardized. Otherwise left as printed.\n\nFootnote numbers were re-indexed in this electronic text, internal\nreferences renumbered correspondingly.\n\nFootnote 72, \u2018excepting\u2019 changed to \u2018except\u2019 (except in the matter of\nlight).\n\nFootnote 92, \u2018of\u2019 added (first quarter of the present century).\n\nFootnote 124, \u2018den\u00f4uement\u2019 changed to \u2018d\u00e9nouement\u2019 (important to the\n_d\u00e9nouement_ of the story).\n\nFootnote 140, \u2018d\u00e9no\u00fbement\u2019 changed to \u2018d\u00e9nouement\u2019 (The _d\u00e9nouement_\nof the _Y\u00fc-chiao-li_).\n\nFootnote 172, \u2018Ibu\u2019 changed to \u2018Ibn\u2019 (Ibn Batuta writes as follows).\n\nFootnote 324, \u2018LXVII.\u2019 changed to \u2018LXVIII.\u2019 (See No. LXVIII.).\n\nPage 19, \u2018of\u2019 added (a number of curious stones).\n\nPage 65, \u2018be\u2019 changed to \u2018he\u2019 (but he soon reflected).\n\nPage 145, \u2018sung\u2019 changed to \u2018sang\u2019 (whereupon he sang the following\nlines).\n\nPage 198, \u2018he\u2019 changed to \u2018be\u2019 (that he would be only too happy).\n\nPage 208, \u2018according\u2019 changed to \u2018accordingly\u2019 (accordingly, when the\nKing was looking).\n\nPage 254, \u2018Ch\u2018\u00eang\u2019 changed to \u2018Ch\u2018\u00ean\u2019 (This frightened Ch\u2018\u00ean).\n\nPage 255, \u2018Ch\u2018\u00eang\u2019 changed to \u2018Ch\u2018\u00ean\u2019 (Ch\u2018\u00ean himself was a\ncattle-farmer).\n\nPage 286, \u2018servants\u2019 changed to \u2018servant\u2019 (rode away, telling his\nservant).\n\nPage 287, \u2018a Mr. Ts\u2018ui\u2019 changed to \u2018Mr. Ts\u2018ui\u2019 (who lived next door to\nMr. Ts\u2018ui).\n\nPage 41, \u2018He then bit her across the neck\u2019 should probably be \u2018He then\nhit her across the neck\u2019.","title":"Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio, Vol. 2 (of 2)","tradition":"myth-cosmogony","translated_text":null,"word_count":98650}