more moving passages the accompaniment of
a powerful drum or a hollow wooden fish."

"Alas!" exclaimed the maiden, "though the time should pass like a
flash of lightning beneath the allurement of your art, it is
questionable if those who await this one's returning footsteps would
experience a like illusion. Even now--" With a magnanimous wave of her
well-formed hand she indicated the other maiden, who, finding that the
danger of pursuit was not sustained, had returned to claim her part.

"One advances along the westward road," reported the second maiden.
"Let us fly elsewhere, O allurer of mankind! It may be--"

"Doubtless in Yu-ping the sound of your uplifted voice--" But at this
point a noise upon the earth-road, near at hand, impelled them both to
sudden flight into the deeper recesses of the wood.

Thus deprived, Kai Lung moved from the shadow of the trees and sought
the track, to see if by chance he from whom they fled might turn to
his advantage. On the road he found one who staggered behind a
laborious wheel-barrow in the direction of Loo-chow. At that moment he
had stopped to take down the sail, as the breeze was bereft of power
among the obstruction of the trees, and also because he was weary.

"Greeting," called down Kai Lung, saluting him. "There is here
protection from the fierceness of the sun and a stream wherein to wash
your feet."

"Haply," replied the other; "and a greatly over-burdened one would
gladly leave this ill-nurtured earth-road even for the fields of hell,
were it not that all his goods are here contained upon an utterly
intractable wheel-barrow."

Nevertheless he drew himself up from the road to the level of the wood
and there reclined, yet not permitting the wheel-barrow to pass beyond
his sight, though he must thereby lie half in the shade and half in
the heat beyond. "Greeting, wayfarer."

"Although you are evidently a man of some wealth, we are for the time
brought to a common level by the forces that control us," remarked Kai
Lung. "I have here two onions, a gourd and a sufficiency of millet
paste. Partake equally with me, therefore, before you resume your way.
In the meanwhile I will procure water from the stream near by, and to
this end my collecting bowl will serve."

When Kai Lung returned he found that the other had added to their
store a double handful of dates, some snuff and a little jar of oil.
As they ate together the stranger thus disclosed his mind:

"The times a