Evening journal., 1897-08-25
-roNe-PAk-sUK AND THE DEW
Corean Legend as to How Their NJ
thusaIeh Bent the Adversary.

I
gend concerning the manner in whit
Tong-Pak-Suk the Methuselah of the
mythology, got the better of Sata
Tong lived 1000 years, and acquire
great wisdom. The latter years of h
life were spent in fishing, but not wis
! ing to diminish the stock Of fish in III
river, he used a straight piece of VIII
! instead of a hook. Thus he was alb
to enjoy the excitement and pleasu1
Of fishing for several centuries withou
catching a single fish
Realizing that sooner or later tn
devil who did deaths errands would b
looking him up, he changed lis nam.
and abode with each generation, an,
thus eluded him. In the meantimd
the evil one disguised himself in
flowing Corean robe which covered ui
his tain, concealed his horns under
mourner's hat three feet in diameter
and wrapped his legs in curious padded
stockings, so that he easily passed fo1
a native. He heard that Tong was
fishing in the Hau river So he col.
lected a quantity of charcoal and
washed it in that stream. This, OF
course, blackened the water, and Tong,
being surprised and annoyed, went up
to discover the cause. Finding the
devil washing the charcoal, he asked
what he was doing. The devil replied
that he was trying to make it white.
Old Tong, in his astonishment, was
thrown off his guard, and said: '1have.
lived in Corea hundreds of years, and.
of course, have met many fools, but 1
never saw big enough fool TO try to
wash charcoal white"
The devil at once knew his man. and
unfolding his tail by way of exhibit
ing his warrant of arrest, seized Tong
and hurried him along in the direction
of the dark portals through which all
mOrtals must pass.
On the way the devil, being in good
humor over his success, chatted pleas
antly with Tong, who ventured to asl,
him what he most abhorred and was
most afraid Of The devil made a ia
tai blunder-one which might have
been excusable for a mortal-he told
the truth. lie said he hated and feared
but four terrestrial things-a branch of
thorn tree, an empty salt bag, a
worn-out straw sandal of an OK and a
particular kind of grass that grows in
Corea-the foxtail-and that when
these were put together he could not
go within 80 feet of them.
In return the devil asked Tong what
he most feared. Tong, being wise and
experienced, lied and said he was in
mortal terror of roasted OK head and
mackalee-a kind of beer.
Shortly after the exchange of conf
dence Tong noticed that they were
passing a thorn tree, around the roots
of which foXtail grass was growing,
and, curiously enough, under it was an
old salt bag and a cast-of OK candal;
so, making a sudden spring from the
side of the devil. he gathered up the
bag, the brass and sandal, and hanging
them on the branch of the tree his
charm was perfect. The devil could not
come within 80 feet.
OF course the devil used every in
ducement TO get Tong to come forth.
but the old fellow stuck to his post. At
last the devil went off and got a roasted
OK head and cask of mackalee and
rolled them in TO Tong, confident from
what he had told him that Tong would
be driven outside the magic circle. But
when he saw Tong eating heartily of
the beef and drinking the mackalee
with gusto he realized that the game
was up and despairingly departed.
Tong's long life was due to the acci-
dent by which his page in the Book Of
Fate stuck TO the next one, so that his
name was overlooked. When ultimate
ly the complaint was made that Tong
had lived too long, it took the registrar
of the lower regions BAG years to hunt
up his name in the archiyes-Chicago
Record.