ravellers, but agreed
to Pa-chieh retiring within the household in the character of a
son-in-law, the other three remaining as guests in the guest-rooms.

Blind Man's Buff

But a new problem now arose. If Pa-chieh were wedded to one of the
three daughters, the others would feel aggrieved. So the widow proposed
to blindfold him with a handkerchief, and marry him to whichever
he succeeded in catching. But, with the bandage tied over his eyes,
Pa-chieh only found himself groping in darkness. "The tinkling sound
of female trinkets was all around him, the odour of musk was in his
nostrils; like fairy forms they fluttered about him, but he could no
more grasp one than he could a shadow. One way and another he ran till
he was too giddy to stand, and could only stumble helplessly about."

The prospective mother-in-law then unloosed the bandage, and informed
Pa-chieh that it was not her daughters' 'slipperiness,' as he had
called it, which prevented their capture, but the extreme modesty of
each in being generous enough to forgo her claims in favour of one of
her sisters. Pa-chieh thereupon became very importunate, urging his
suit for any one of the daughters or for the mother herself or for all
three or all four. This was beyond all conscience, but the widow was
equal to the emergency, and suggested another solution. Each of her
daughters wore a waistcoat embroidered in jewels and gold. Pa-chieh
was to try these on in turn, and to marry the owner of the one which
fitted him. Pa-chieh put one on, but as he was tying the cord round
his waist it transformed itself into strong coils of rope which bound
him tightly in every limb. He rolled about in excruciating agony,
and as he did so the curtain of enchantment fell and the beauties
and the palace disappeared.

Next morning the rest of the party on waking up also found that all
had changed, and saw that they had been sleeping on the ground in the
cypress-grove. On making search they found Pa-chieh bound fast to a
tree. They cut him down, to pursue the journey a sadder and wiser Pig,
and the butt of many a quip from his fellow-travellers.

The Lotus Cave

When the party left the Elephant Country, seeing a mountain ahead,
the Master warned his disciples to be careful. Sun said: "Master, say
not so; remember the text of the Sacred Book, 'So long as the heart is
right there is nothing to fear.'" After this Sun kept a close watch
on Pa-chieh, who, while professing to be on gua