The San Francisco call., 1904-04-17

lOull0 lllc .ICSl dBG4As ab GA lilC 6aNCS
the cantering hoofs of horses and the
tread OF the many weary sandaled feet
of belated pilgrims kept those portions
astir; there were thousands now in
Keinning who could not find room nor
roof. These sat and smoked and slept
wherever and whenever they could
getting up in their shaggy white gar
ments from a hundred unexpected
places, and wandering aimlessly out
and back again. In passing only to
the barracks i met scores walking to
and fro, seeking protected corners in
which TO lie, their arms showed well
up into their loose sleeves-the Quel-
partien method of keeping warm. If
any of these (save the proportion who
were pleasantly drunk were awake, II,
was the unfortunates who not infre
quently ccllided and jammed into each
others throats the long pipes they
smoked. One poor inebriate we passed
had fallen on a doorway while tacking
around a corner and driven his two
foot pipe clean through the back of his
neck At another house a countryman
had fallen asleep on a doorstep; as we
came by, a wandering fellow-rustic
pulled him gently from the haunted
threshold upon the ground beside it
where the devil could not sting him
in his Dreams" according to my boy.
Near the little gate we passed the
belated cavalcade of the Governor of
Chal-dong, who had arrived the even
ing before. This worthy Governor was
notorious for rapid rise to his place of
prominence, the secret of which my
boy Kell told me as we passed on down
the wide avenue.
When a mere lad the Governor of
Chal-dong determined to leave his
home in the little mountain village
where his parents lived, and go to the
capital and take the examinations for
a government position.
The boy studied as he journeyed,
scarcely locking about him until he
reached the Great Buddha-an i'm
mense stone image of great height.
Upon the idols head, which lowered
into the skies, he saw the famous pear
tree, and the one fine pear upon ii
which the youth OF his land had vainly
striven TO secure for years and genera
tions.
AS the boy scanned the ragged stone
side Of the idols jaws and cheeks, and
the precipice of the straight forehead
Cat the base of which hundreds had
been killed., he wondered that no one
had endeavored to find another course
to the top of the head. The path
around the ear TO the base of the pre-
cipice Of the forehead was deeply worn
but that precipice had never been
scaled.
As Song Do Cfor such was the lads
name), sat looking upward, thinking
of the high position in the government
the first possessor of the pear was
prophesied to reach his eyes rested
with fascinating intentness upon the
great black gorges of the idols nose.
Had no one sought a passageway to
the head through thpse great caverns?
The idea was soon burning Song Dos
brain, and, eating the dried fruit he
carried, and otherwise Tightening him
self by throwing off his flowing white
cloak, he was soon threading with fe-
Verish haste the worn path which led
to the steep ascent up the idols side.
1t was like climbing the steepest hill
side in his native mountains, and the
muscles hardened by mountain climb
ing through all the years of his boy
hood were now put to their. stiffest
task. Large clusters of bushes were
growing wherever there had been
earth enough to catch and nourish
wind-strewn seeds. Those nearest the
path were worn by the hands of thou
sands of aspirants as high in hope and
as excited by glowing dreams as Song
Do. Then he stopped to rest and look
down; the image had now lost its ac-
customed figure, and from his high
perch the boy could identify no feature
save only the two great caverns cf the
nose above him. On these he kept his
eyes. and, when the great path turned
away from them, he left it and began
to pick out a new and dangerous
course.
Thus he approached slowly into the
dark cave On the right Here he found
the stone sides were not smooth, as he
feared they might be, but rough and
as easy to mount as the sides of the
image without. And when he stopped
a moment to rest, he looked upward
and thought he saw a dim light, as
though there actually existed an open
ing 10 the top of the head This awoke
all his tired muscles and on he scram-
bled up through toward the light. Then
suddenly terrific wind burst through
the gorge, carrying poor Song Do with
it. His climbing in the nose had made
the great stone god sneeze.
But when the bruised lad came to
consciousness, he found that the giants
sneeze had loosened the pear which lay
in the road beside him; and the Quel-
partiens still say, TITS a bad wind that
blows not good for some one"
We had journeyed to the Great Bell
and were now back at the barracks,
and. as 1 went forward TO get the son
Of old Ling to help me, l thought of
our own adage so like the Quelpar-
items; but of all the i'll winds of which
1 knew, what wind blew good for me?
Once in the officers quarters, ! or
dered out my troops and sent for Kim
Ling. A strong. sober youth of per-
haps eight and twenty answered my
summons. 1 was pleased even the mo-
ment / looked upon him. The quiet
grave face assured me that the father
had not misjudged the son. / told the
lad of his fathers prayer to me, and of
my words to the King. The youth
drauy from his breast an appointment