he start that the quick and the dead tread different paths, and that
it is not well if they abide near each other permanently? Now you see
what has happened!" Yet he sent his messenger to fetch the man's
father. The father came and the god spake to him as follows: "I
forgave you your offense and sent you back to your home as a
field-god. It was your duty to bring happiness to your family.
Instead, nearly all of your grand-children have died off. Why is
this?"

And the father said: "I had been away from home so long that I was
overjoyed to return. Besides I had meat and drink in overflowing
measure. So I thought of my little grand-children and called them to
me."

Then the Lord of the Great Mountain appointed another field-god for
that village, and also gave the father another place. And from that
time no further misfortune happened to the family of Hu-Wu-Bau.

Note: The Lord of the Great Mountain was originally
Huang Fe-Hu, a faithful servant of the tyrant
Dschou-Sin. Because of an insult offered him, he joined
King Wu, and when the latter overcame the tyrant, was
made Lord of the Mountain, and overlord of the ten
princes of the nether world.

LII

RETRIBUTION

Once upon a time there was a boy named Ma, whose father taught him
himself, at home. The window of the upper story looked out on the rear
upon a terrace belonging to old Wang, who had a garden of
chrysanthemums there. One day Ma rose early, and stood leaning against
the window, watching the day dawn. And out came old Wang from his
terrace and watered his chrysanthemums. When he had just finished and
was going in again, along came a water-carrier, bearing two pails on
his shoulders, who seemed to want to help him. But the old man grew
annoyed and motioned him off. Yet the water-carrier insisted on
mounting the terrace. So they pulled each other about on the
terrace-edge. It had been raining, the terrace was slippery, its
border high and narrow, and when the old man thrust back the
water-carrier with his hand, the latter lost his balance, slipped and
tumbled down the slope. Then the old man hastened down to pick him up;
but the two pails had fallen on his chest and he lay there with feet
outstretched. The old man was extremely frightened. Without uttering a
sound, he took hold of the water-carrier's feet, and dragged him
through the back door to the bank of the stream which flowed by the
garden. Then he fetched the pails an