ven have been damaged by the late accident, and the
Sun and Moon have been obliged to stay at home. Neither the Sun could
make his daily journey nor the Moon her nightly one because of the bad
roads. The Sun and Moon do not yet know that your Majesty has mended
all that was damaged, so we will go and inform them that since you have
repaired them the roads are safe."

The Empress approved of what the wise men suggested, and ordered them
to set out on their mission. But this was not easy, for the Palace of
the Sun and Moon was many, many hundreds of thousands of miles distant
into the East. If they traveled on foot they might never reach the
place, they would die of old age on the road. But Jokwa had recourse to
magic. She gave her two ambassadors wonderful chariots which could
whirl through the air by magic power a thousand miles per minute. They
set out in good spirits, riding above the clouds, and after many days
they reached the country where the Sun and the Moon were living happily
together.

The two ambassadors were granted an interview with their Majesties of
Light and asked them why they had for so many days secluded themselves
from the Universe? Did they not know that by doing so they plunged the
world and all its people into uttermost darkness both day and night?

Replied the Sun and the Moon:

"Surely you know that Mount Shu has suddenly burst forth with fire, and
the roads of Heaven have been greatly damaged! I, the Sun, found it
impossible to make my daily journey along such rough roads--and
certainly the Moon could not issue forth at night! so we both retired
into private life for a time."

Then the two wise men bowed themselves to the ground and said:

"Our Empress Jokwa has already repaired the roads with the wonderful
stones of five colors, so we beg to assure your Majesties that the
roads are just as they were before the eruption took place."

But the Sun and the Moon still hesitated, saying that they had heard
that one of the pillars of Heaven had been broken as well, and they
feared that, even if the roads had been remade, it would still be
dangerous for them to sally forth on their usual journeys.

"You need have no anxiety about the broken pillar," said the two
ambassadors. "Our Empress restored it with the legs of a great
tortoise, and it is as firm as ever it was."

Then the Sun and Moon appeared satisfied, and they both set out to try
the roads. They found that what the Empress's deputie