with heavenly
light, could cross the seas, and pass from the sun to the moon. She
also had a kind heart for the sufferings of humanity. The King of Chou
Yue, in the north, married her on hearing of her many virtues. They
had nine sons. Yuean-shih T'ien-tsun came to earth to invite her, her
husband, and nine sons to enjoy the delights of Heaven. He placed
her in the palace Tou Shu, the Pivot of the Pole, because all the
other stars revolve round it, and gave her the title of Queen of the
Doctrine of Primitive Heaven. Her nine sons have their palaces in
the neighbouring stars.

Tou Mu wears the Buddhist crown, is seated on a lotus throne, has
three eyes, eighteen arms, and holds various precious objects in her
numerous hands, such as a bow, spear, sword, flag, dragon's head,
pagoda, five chariots, sun's disk, moon's disk, etc. She has control
of the books of life and death, and all who wish to prolong their
days worship at her shrine. Her devotees abstain from animal food on
the third and twenty-seventh day of every month.

Of her sons, two are the Northern and Southern Bushels; the latter,
dressed in red, rules birth; the former, in white, rules death. "A
young Esau once found them on the South Mountain, under a tree,
playing chess, and by an offer of venison his lease of life was
extended from nineteen to ninety-nine years."

Snorter and Blower

At the time of the overthrow of the Shang and establishment of the Chou
dynasty in 1122 B.C. there lived two marshals, Cheng Lung and Ch'en
Ch'i. These were Heng and Ha, the Snorter and Blower respectively.

The former was the chief superintendent of supplies for the armies of
the tyrant emperor Chou, the Nero of China. The latter was in charge
of the victualling department of the same army.

From his master, Tu O, the celebrated Taoist magician of the K'un-lun
Mountains, Heng acquired a marvellous power. When he snorted, his
nostrils, with a sound like that of a bell, emitted two white columns
of light, which destroyed his enemies, body and soul. Thus through him
the Chou gained numerous victories. But one day he was captured, bound,
and taken to the general of Chou. His life was spared, and he was
made general superintendent of army stores as well as generalissimo
of five army corps. Later on he found himself face to face with the
Blower. The latter had learnt from the magician how to store in his
chest a supply of yellow gas which, when he blew it out, annihilated
a