l air. While there he drank a number
of goblets of wine, and by midnight had fallen fast asleep. Suddenly
he awoke, feeling ill. It seemed as though some one were patting him
on the back, and before he knew it, the ball of fire had leaped out
from his throat. At once a hand reached for it and a voice said: "For
thirty long years you kept my treasure from me, and from a poor
farmer-lad you have grown to be a wealthy man. Now you have enough,
and I would like to have my fire-ball back again!"

Then the man knew what had happened, but the fox was gone.

Note: The thought underlying the story is the belief
that the fox prepares the elixir of life out of his own
breath, which he allows to rise to the moon. If a thief
can rob him of the elixir he gains supernatural powers.

GHOST STORIES

XLIX

THE TALKING SILVER FOXES

The silver foxes resemble other foxes, but are yellow, fire-red or
white in color. They know how to influence human beings, too. There is
a kind of silver fox which can learn to speak like a man in a year's
time. These foxes are called "Talking Foxes."

South-west of the bay of Kaiutschou there is a mountain by the edge of
the sea, shaped like a tower, and hence known as Tower Mountain. On
the mountain there is an old temple with the image of a goddess, who
is known as the Old Mother of Tower Mountain. When children fall ill
in the surrounding villages, the magicians often give orders that
paper figures of them be burned at her altar, or little lime images of
them be placed around it. And for this reason the altar and its
surroundings are covered with hundreds of figures of children made in
lime. Paper flowers, shoes and clothing are also brought to the Old
Mother, and lie in a confusion of colors. The pilgrimage festivals
take place on the third day of the third month, and the ninth day of
the ninth month, and then there are theatrical performances, and the
holy writings are read. And there is also an annual fair. The girls
and women of the neighborhood burn incense and pray to the goddess.
Parents who have no children go there and pick out one of the little
children made of lime, and tie a red thread around its neck, or even
secretly break off a small bit of its body, dissolve it in water and
drink it. Then they pray quietly that a child may be sent them.

Behind the temple is a great cave where, in former times, some talking
foxes used to live. They would even come ou