197 



The wife of the genius crosses the milky way on the seventh night; 



At this time the sisters come down on the world and meet ajain. 



Every year, on the seventh night, she stands on the look-out near the galaxy: 



The magpie-bridge is difficult to cross, — what do you think? 



fiii * -t 9 m m m 

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M 1i * iK % *B -fq- 



OO The host places seven cups in this way. The guest, before drinking, places 

 OOO one finger in the side-cup and two fmgers on each side, making the represen- 

 OO tation of the character Hung. ( a ) 



o o This figtire can also be made with 6 cups. In this case the guest places three 

 ° fingers next the six cups. 



The host places 6 cups one into the other on a pile. The upper one contains tea. 

 The figure represents „ The sixth envoy of Yang guards the three passes." ( 2 ) Before drink- 

 Lr.g, the guest ought to say this quatrain: 



The sixth envoy guards the three passes; 



Twenty four officers are drawn up on both sides. 



The Western Liao, hearing of this, lost their courage; 



The barbarians were utterly routed and the universe rejoiced. ( s ) 



< ] > #? ( 2 ) M ^> W ffi H ü 



( 3 ) During the dynasty of Sung the Chinese empire suffered much from the depredations of the Kki- 

 tan ( &l -&- or |ïïj ^^ . western Liao). Tradition says that a certain general named Yen-chan 



{ $è. Jft? ) * s * x ^ son °^ ^ ne o enera l Yang-ling-kung ( 7^j ^ ^ 1 . defended the three passes 

 Yen-mun-hcan (g p^j H^ 39°5'50' Lat. 110°38' Long.), Pien-thao-kwan (g jg[ g] ? 3S°44' 



Lat. 108°53' Long.) and Ning-wu-kwan [ j|£ jj£ ||| , 39°8' Lat. 109°43' Long.) so e/fectua%, that 

 the Khitan durst not make any more inroads. At last they were defeated in a great battle, and peace was 

 restored. This happened during the reign of the emperor CJdn-tsung I pt tjV -^- D. "8 — 1022.) 

 This Episode is not mentioned in History; but it is found in a novel, called: The ?;/>/rirrd-J/otcer-tower, 

 1~&K ~jp %%), Yang-ling-kung dreamt one night that the Emperor Thai-tsn was surrounded with 



