178 



A 3E M T - *i & 



m ± £ g # 

 g* # + — p 



* ■ » « » ^ 



If you see on the road stones laid in five heaps, jou. can knock open the middle heap and 

 eay this quatrain: 



We disperse the dynasty of Tsing and her warriors are exterminated , 



Because the treacherous ministers harm the people. 



The Hung-heroes are going to requite the days of their wrongs ; 



They destroy the Tsings, exterminate the Manchoos, and restore the Mings. 



tr m m m ^ 



m tf e m 



n * * % % 



■ » m n m * * 



If there is a piece of cloth lying in a garden, remain then outside and say: ff Who made this 

 bridge?" ff Chu-kwang and Chu-khai." //Of how many planks is it made?" „0£ three planks." 



The character 1|| is composed of the elements zé goat, sheep; and ;jj| , I, our. 



In a copy we got subsequently , we found indeed that this quatrain is the analysis of the four charao 



ters which we supposed were meant by it. 



The Chinese make very often sucblike riddles. The following may serve as an illustration: 



l* M M PI * 'K 

 Mr # ft m & A 



* m -f- * # * 



S u$ m PJ H JS 



Last night there was a fi re at the Uast-gate; 



But luckily there were many people inside; 



If, however, the men and women had not helped each other, 



It would have bumt from the hour Tu (5 — 7 P. M.) till the third watch (II — 1.) 

 This riddle is solved by the characters ^ I^J jjfr ^pj , „ Boiled meat and good wine." The first cha- 

 racter being composed of J^, fire; ]É£ , East&nd, P^ , gate. The second of j^J ? inside and J^ ? 

 waw. The third of -£q , girl and ^?* , 5oy; whilst the fourth is composed of Yj three (drops of wa- 

 ter) and IS" Iw, the lOth of the 12 branches. 



