d the rest also
joined him.

One day he took a nap after dinner. Before he did so he had let the
bar shrink, and had stuck it in his ear. While he was sleeping he saw
two men come along in his dream, who had a card on which was written
"Sun Wu Kung." They would not allow him to resist, but fettered him
and led his spirit away. And when they reached a great city the Ape
King gradually came to himself. Over the city gate he saw a tablet of
iron on which was engraved in large letters: "The Nether World."

Then all was suddenly clear to him and he said: "Why, this must be the
dwelling-place of Death! But I have long since escaped from his power,
and how dare he have me dragged here!" The more he reflected the
wilder he grew. He drew out the golden rod from his ear, swung it and
let it grow large. Then he crushed the two constables to mush, burst
his fetters, and rolled his bar before him into the city. The ten
Princes of the Dead were frightened, bowed before him and asked: "Who
are you?"

Sun Wu Kung answered: "If you do not know me then why did you send for
me and have me dragged to this place? I am the heaven-born saint Sun
Wu Kung of the Mountain of Flowers and Fruits. And now, who are you?
Tell me your names quickly or I will strike you!"

The ten Princes of the Dead humbly gave him their names.

Sun Wu Kung said: "I, the Venerable Sun, have gained the power of
eternal life! You have nothing to say to me! Quick, let me have the
Book of Life!"

They did not dare defy him, and had the scribe bring in the Book. Sun
Wu Kung opened it. Under the head of "Apes," No. 1350, he read: "Sun
Wu Kung, the heaven-born stone ape. His years shall be three hundred
and twenty-four. Then he shall die without illness."

Sun Wu Kung took the brush from the table and struck out the whole ape
family from the Book of Life, threw the Book down and said: "Now we
are even! From this day on I will suffer no impertinences from you!"

With that he cleared a way for himself out of the Nether World by
means of his rod, and the ten Princes of the Dead did not venture to
stay him, but only complained of him afterward to the Lord of the
Heavens.

When Sun Wu Kung had left the city he slipped and fell to the ground.
This caused him to wake, and he noticed he had been dreaming. He
called his four baboons to him and said: "Splendid, splendid! I was
dragged to Death's castle and I caused considerable uproar there. I
had them give me the Book of