The Red Cloud chief., 1884-02-01
THE CHINESE RIP VAN WINKLE.

In Shan lung tnere Is Il unta In
whose side is n mysterious hole OF pit,
from the mouth OF which smoke may
be seen to issue previous to rain.
But that is not the strongest thing
about it. They say it is so deep that it
is impossible to sound it. All people
at.present alive in ChiT.a are content To
let it rest ut that. If truth lies at the
bottom of a. well, there it may lie, for
all them. They would neither care nOr
dare to go after it.
Bnt once upon a time there was a
man who did not feel SO. He lived on
the mountain, and the pit was daily be-
fore his eyes. He was Il rich man: but
not satisfied. He was a reading man;
but his books did not tell him all he
wished to know. So he kept on pom
dering and wondering till he vas forty
years old. Then, though the bottom
less well was rs great a mystery to him
as ever, he had taken the first step to
find it out; he had resolved to investi-
gate.
Well, when Ii Ching. for that was
the philosophers name. approached his
forticth birthday, he made a feast, and
invited all his friends. Now, this Ii
Ching being rich. of curse all his
friends We're in the habit of making
him expensive gifts. But this year he
ssst them notice that the only presents
he wished to receive were coils of. rope
and little bells. They brought them.
wondering and questioning. But Lii
Ching only looked mysterious. and
said he might find a use for them some
time.
And SO it happened every birthday
until the eightieth. He had been busy
some time before this day in preparing
for it. The feast was unusually fine
and the theatricals were performed in
the best manner; but that was only
preliminary. When this was all over
he lett his guests to the mouth of the
pit and showed them how he had been
preparing for the day. There was a
booth OF mats at the mouth of the cave.
and Owe it he had erected n windlass.
The building was nearly full of tf6
ropes he had been collecting all these
years, all joined together, and ut each
knot a bell. He had also prepared a
a for himself. Then he told them he
meant to 60 down and fathOm this
mystery. His friends tried to dissuade
him. But he said that when he was
forty years old he had made a vow that
If he lived to be eighty he would go
and find out for himself.
So arming himself with a package of
candles and a paper lantern he got into
the a and Ortlered his sons to let him
down slowly; but if he should encounter
any horrors on the way he would pull
on the rope, and when they heard the
bells ring. they were to draw him up
very fast. (Now you mustn't inter
ruDt to ask how he could pull a rope
when his own weight was hanging
from it several leagues down a we'll: or
how the SON above, paving out the
rope with bells attached could hear
above that ringing the Inkling of the
little bells deep in the earth. You for
get that this was il China. where every
thing is queer.) The sons. of course.
had to obey their father. So bidding
him a farewell, they let him down, feel
ing as if it were into q grave.
His lantern wa SION all they could
see OF him; first a bright star, then a
glimmering speck. Ikea FREELY: then it
was lost altogether. And still they
PLAYED out the jingling rope.
Well. and what of the old philos-
opher? The descent wa at first per-
pendicular; but after a mile or two it
took a turn, and he went sliding down
an inclined plane. After a long. long
time the a stopped. and he found
himself on even ground; but still in the
darkness East, West. North and
South were lost in this blackness. But.
nothing daunted, our philosopher takes
hrs lantern and sets out { explore the
gloom. BY and by he sees ahead of
HIM a giimmering light which he knows
does not come from the reflection of his
lantern. So he eagerly follows that.
Soon he can snuff out his candle; for a
wide PLAIN lies before him. Very
beautiful, indeed, it seemed to his eyes,
SO long accustomed to the darkness;
fields and rivers, fruit-trees aud flowers.
He seemed to-be in a garden. He fol-
loved one of the paths, and it brought
him to 3 little arbor. Inside he heard
the rafting CT chessmen. and coming
pearer, be saw two. old men seated
PLAYING chess, ard two boys waiting on