his knife
from his hand, and put an end to him. After that he entered the cave
and released his captive children, the apes. The transformed hairs he
drew to him again, and making a fire, he burned the evil cave to the
ground. Then he gathered up those he had released, and flew back with
them like a storm-wind to his cavern on the Mountain of Flowers and
Fruits, joyfully greeted by all the apes.

After Sun Wu Kung had obtained possession of the Devil-King's great
knife, he exercised his apes every day. They had wooden swords and
lances of bamboo, and played their martial music on reed pipes. He
had them build a camp so that they would be prepared for all dangers.
Suddenly the thought came to Sun Wu Kung: "If we go on this way,
perhaps we may incite some human or animal king to fight with us, and
then we would not be able to withstand him with our wooden swords and
bamboo lances!" And to his apes he said: "What should be done?" Four
baboons stepped forward and said: "In the capital city of the Aulai
empire there are warriors without number. And there coppersmiths and
steelsmiths are also to be found. How would it be if we were to buy
steel and iron and have those smiths weld weapons for us?"

A somersault and Sun Wu Kung was standing before the city moat. Said
he to himself: "To first buy the weapons would take a great deal of
time. I would rather make magic and take some." So he blew on the
ground. Then a tremendous storm-wind arose which drove sand and stones
before it, and caused all the soldiers in the city to run away in
terror. Then Sun Wu Kung went to the armory, pulled out one of his
hairs, turned it into thousands of little apes, cleared out the whole
supply of weapons, and flew back home on a cloud.

Then he gathered his people about him and counted them. In all they
numbered seventy-seven thousand. They held the whole Mountain in
terror, and all the magic beasts and spirit princes who dwelt on it.
And these came forth from seventy-two caves and honored Sun Wu Kung as
their head.

One day the Ape King said: "Now you all have weapons; but this knife
which I took from the Devil-King is too light, and no longer suits me.
What should be done?"

Then the four baboons stepped forward and said: "In view of your
spirit powers, O king, you will find no weapon fit for your use on all
the earth! Is it possible for you to walk through the water?"

The Ape King answered: "All the elements are subject to me and there