THE LAND OF PEACH BLOOM 115 



but we seek them not. Happiness is our inheritance; 

 happiness born of goodwill and contentment, which naught 

 can mar, as naught can dim the brightness of the sun, the 

 eye of the universe which seeth all things. You must not 

 imagine, however, that we claim any credit for this perfect 

 state of affairs. We came here as mere mortals from your 

 benighted world, destitute and in dire distress, fugitives from 

 the tyranny of one who would fain have taken our lives. 

 It must be many years since we arrived; we cannot say how 

 long it is, for we keep no account of time. In those days 

 there ruled over the newly consolidated Empire of China one 

 who assumed the proud title of Shih Huang Ti, or First 

 Emperor. After subduing all the feudal states, this cruel 

 and relentless monarch waged a ruthless war against us, 

 the literati of the land. The writings of our ancient Sages 

 he tore from us and cast into the flames; those of us who 

 resisted, he destroyed, or sent north to build the Great Wall. 

 Many perished ignominiously, and there was danger of our 

 complete extermination as well as the irretrievable loss of 

 our literature. In the the hour of our affliction we lifted our 

 voices and cried to the spirit of the Great Master Confucius 

 to deliver us from the evil days that had fallen upon us, and 

 to rescue his teachings from the impious hands of our enemy. 

 Our cry was heard. At a secret conference, an inspiration 

 came to us; we resolved to fly. In the hush of night we 

 fled from the diabolical sway of that accursed despot, bring- 

 ing away with us our written tablets, our sacrificial vessels, 

 our ceremonial robes, and such of our goods and chattels as 

 we could carry. We knew not whither we should go; but 

 we turned our steps towards the mountains, and trusted in 

 the spirit of the Master to guide us to a safe retreat. 

 Hampered as we were by the aged and the young of our 

 band, our pace was necessarily slow, and we were in terror 

 of being overtaken by the soldiers of the Emperor and led 

 back as captives to certain death, if not slaughtered by them 

 on the spot. When day dawned, we hid ourselves in the 

 crevices of the mountains, and there anxiously awaited 

 nightfall to resume our flight. It was a day of terrible 

 suspense ; we dared not issue from our hiding places for fear 

 of being seen; the hours of waiting seemed interminable. 



At last the sun sank in the west; twilight passed, and a 

 dense darkness shrouded the land. We were all ready and 

 eager to move on ; we sallied forth and silently groped our way 

 along the mountainside. We had not proceeded far when a 

 strange light appeared ahead of us; a light not dazzling, 

 vet of pure whiteness, and it came from the bowels of the 

 mountain. The appearance of this inexplicable light caused 



