Monkey (23 page)

He strode to the stream-side, and used a magic which stirred up the clear waters of the river till they became as turbulent as the waves of the Yellow River. The dragon soon became very uncomfortable as he lay at the bottom of the stream. ‘Misfortunes never come singly,’ he thought to himself. ‘Hardly a year has passed since I barely escaped with my life from the Tribunal of Heaven and was condemned to this exile; and now I have fallen foul of this cursed monster, who seems determined to do me injury.’ The more he thought, the angrier he became. At last, determined not to give in, he leapt up through the waves and gnashing his teeth he snarled, ‘What monster are you, and where do you come from, that you dare affront me in this fashion ?’

‘Never mind where I come from or don’t come from,’ said Monkey. ‘Just give me back my horse, or you shall pay for it with your life.’

‘Your horse,’ said the dragon, ‘is inside me. How am I to give it back to you ? And anyhow, if I don’t, what can you do tome?’

‘Have a look at this cudgel,’ said Monkey. ‘If you don’t give me back the horse you shall pay for it with your life.’

Again they fought upon the bank, and after several rounds the dragon could hold out no longer, made one great wriggle, and, changing itself into a water-snake, disappeared into the long grass. Beating the grass with his cudgel, Monkey pranced wildly about, trying to track it down, but all in vain. At last, fuming with impatience, he uttered a loud O
M
, as a secret summons to the spirits of the locality. In a moment they were kneeling before him.

‘Hold out your shanks,’ said Monkey, ‘and I’ll give you each five strokes with the cudgel just to relieve my feelings.’

‘Great Sage,’ they besought him, ‘pray give us a chance to put our case to you. We had no idea that you had been released from your penance, or we should have come to meet you before. We humbly beg you to forgive us.’

‘Very well then,’ said Monkey. ‘You shan’t be beaten. But answer me this. Where does this dragon come from,
who lives in the Eagle Grief River? Why did he swallow my Master’s white horse ?’

‘Great Sage,’ they said, ‘in old days you had no Master, and indeed refused obedience to any power in Heaven or Earth. What do you mean by your Master’s horse ?’

‘After I got into trouble about that affair in Heaven’ said Monkey, ‘I had to do penance for five hundred years. But now I have been taken in hand by the Bodhisattva Kuan-yin and put in charge of a priest who is going to India to fetch Scriptures. I was travelling with him as his disciple, when we lost my Master’s horse.’

‘If you want to catch this dragon, surely your best plan would be to get the Bodhisattva to come and deal with it,’ they said. “There used not to be any dragon here, and it is she who sent it.’

They all went and told Tripitaka of this plan. ‘How long shall you be ?’ he asked.’ Shan’t I be dead of cold or starvation before you come back?’ While he spoke, the voice of the Golden-headed Guardian was heard saying from the sky, ‘None of you need move a step.
I
will go and ask the Bodhisattva.’

‘Much obliged,’ said Monkey. ‘Pray go at once.’

The Guardian soared up through the clouds and made straight for the Southern Ocean. Monkey told the local deities to look after the Master, and the Sentinels to supply food. Then he went back to the banks of the river.

‘What have you come for?’ asked the Bodhisattva, when the Golden-headed Guardian was brought to her where she sat in her bamboo-grove.

“The priest of T’ang,’ said he, ‘has lost his horse at the Eagle Grief River. It was swallowed by a dragon, and the Great Sage sent me for your help.’

‘That dragon,’ said Kuan-yin, ‘is a son of the Dragon King of the Western Ocean. By his carelessness he set fire to the magic pearls in the palace and they were destroyed. His father accused him of subversive intents, and the Tribunal of Heaven condemned him to death. I saw the Jade Emperor about it, and asked that the sentence might be commuted if the dragon consented to carry the priest of T’ang on his
journey to India. I cannot understand how he came to swallow the horse. I’ll come and look into it.’ She got down from her lotus seat, left her fairy cave, and riding on a beam of magic light crossed the Southern Sea. When she came near the River of Eagle Grief, she looked down and saw Monkey on the bank uttering ferocious curses. She sent the Guardian to announce her arrival. Monkey at once sprang into the air and shouted at her, ‘A fine “Teacher of the Seven Bud-dhas”, a fine “Founder of the Faith of Mercy” you are, to plot in this way against us 1’

‘You impudent stableman, you half-witted red-bottom,’ said the Bodhisattva. ‘After all the trouble I have taken to find someone to fetch scriptures, and tell him to redeem you, instead of thanking me you make a scene like this!’

‘You’ve played a fine trick on me,’ said Monkey. ‘You might in decency, when you let me out, have allowed me to go round and amuse myself as I pleased. But you gave me a dressing down and told me I was to spend all my time and energy in looking after this T’ang priest. Very well! But why did you give him a cap that he coaxed me into putting on, and now I can’t get it off, and whenever he says some spell or other I have frightful pains in the head?’

‘Oh Monkey,’ laughed Kuan-yin, ‘if you were not controlled in some such way as this, there would be no doing anything with you. Before long we should have you at all your old tricks again.’

‘It’s no good trying to put the blame on me,’ said Monkey. ‘How comes it that you put this dragon here, after he had been condemned by the Courts, and let him eat my Master’s horse? It was you who put it in his way to continue his villainies here below. You ought to be ashamed of yourself I’

‘I specially asked the Jade Emperor,’ said Kuan-yin, ‘to let this dragon be stationed here, so that he might be used to carry the master on his way to India. No ordinary Chinese horse would be able to carry him all that way.’

‘Well, now he is frightened of me and is hiding,’ said Monkey, ‘so what is to be done?’

Kuan-yin called the Golden-headed Guardian and said to him, ‘Go to the edge of the river and cry “Third son of the
Dragon King, come out! The Bodhisattva is here.” He’ll come out all right.’ The dragon leapt up through the waves and immediately assumed human form.

‘Don’t you know that this is the Scripture-seeker’s disciple?’ Kuan-yin said, pointing at Monkey.

‘Bodhisattva,’ said the young dragon, ‘I’ve been having a fight with him. I was hungry yesterday and ate his horse. He never once mentioned anything about “Scripture-seeking”.’

‘You never asked my name,’ said Monkey, ‘so why should I tell you?’

‘Didn’t I ask you what monster you were and where you came from?’ asked the dragon. ‘And didn’t you shout at me “Never mind where I came from or didn’t come from, but just give me back my horse”? You never so much as mentioned tihe word T’ang.’

‘Monkey is fonder of showing off his own powers than mentioning his connexion with other people,’ said Kuan-yin. ‘But in future if anyone questions him, he must be sure to say that he is seeking Scriptures. Then there will be no more trouble.’

The Bodhisattva then went to the dragon and removed the jewel of wisdom from under his chin. Then she took her willow-spray and sprinkled him all over with sweet dew, and blowing upon him with magic breath cried ‘Change!’ Whereupon the dragon immediately changed into the exact image of the lost horse. She then solemnly called upon the once-dragon to turn from his evil ways, and promised that when his task was ended he should be given a golden body and gain illumination. The young dragon humbled himself and promised faithfully to do as he was bid. Then she turned to go, but Monkey grabbed at her, crying ‘This is not good enough! The way to the west is very bad going, and it would be difficult enough in any case to get an earthly priest over all those precipices and crags. But if we are going to have encounters like this all the time, I shall have hard work keeping alive at all, let alone any thought of achieving salvation. I’m not going on!’

“That’s odd,’ said the Bodhisattva, ‘because in the old days you used to be very keen on obtaining illumination. I am
surprised that, having escaped from the punishment imposed upon you by Heaven, you should be so unwilling to take a little trouble. When you get into difficulties you have only to call upon Earth, and Earth will perform its miracles. If need be, I will come myself to succour you. And, by the way, come here! I am going to endow you with one more power.’ She took the willow leaves from her willow-spray, and dropping them down Monkey’s back cried ‘Change.’ At once they changed into three magic hairs. ‘These,’ she said, ‘will get you out of any trouble, however menacing.’

Monkey thanked the Bodhisattva, who now set out for the Southern Heaven, and taking the horse by the forelock he led it to Tripitaka, saying, ‘Master, here’s a horse anyway!’

‘It’s in much better condition than the old one,’ said Tripitaka. ‘However did you manage to find it ?’

‘What have you been doing all the while? Dreaming?’ said Monkey. ‘The Golden-headed Guardian sent for Kuan-yin, who changed the dragon into the exact image of our white horse. The only thing it lacks is harness.’

‘Where is the Bodhisattva?’ asked Tripitaka, very much surprised. ‘I should like to thank her.’

‘You’re too late,’ said Monkey. ‘By this time she is already crossing the Southern Ocean.’

However Tripitaka burned incense and bowed towards the south. Then he helped Monkey to put together the luggage, and they set out. ‘It’s not going to be easy to ride a horse without saddle and reins,’ said Tripitaka. ‘I’d better find a boat to get across the river, and see if I can’t get some harness on the other side.’

‘That’s not a very practical suggestion,’ said Monkey. ‘What chance is there of finding a boat in this wild, desolate place ? The horse has lived here for some time and must know his way through the waters. Just sit tight on his back and let him carry you across.’ They had got to the river bank, Tripitaka astride the horse and Monkey carrying the luggage, when an old fisherman appeared upstream, punting a crazy old raft. Monkey waved to him, crying, ‘We have come from the east to fetch scriptures. My Master does not know how to get across, and would like you to ferry him.’ The old
man punted rapidly towards them, and Monkey told Tripitaka to dismount. He then helped him on board, and embarked the horse and luggage. The old man punted them swiftly across to the far side, where Tripitaka told Monkey to look in the pack for some Chinese money to give to the old fisherman. But the old man pushed off again at once, saying he did not want money. Tripitaka felt very uncomfortable and could only press together his palms in token of gratitude. ‘Don’t you worry about him,’ said Monkey. ‘Didn’t you see who he really is ? This is the river divinity who failed to come and meet us. I was on the point of giving him a good hiding, which he richly deserved. The fact that I let him off is payment enough. No wonder he hadn’t the face to take your cash.’ Tripitaka was not at all sure whether to believe this story or not. He got astride the horse once more, and followed Monkey along the road to the west. And if you do not know where they got to, you must listen to what is told in the next chapter.

T
HEY
had been travelling for several days through very wild country when at last, very late in the evening, they saw a group of houses in the far distance.

‘Monkey,’ said Tripitaka, ‘I think that is a farm over there. Wouldn’t it be a good plan to see if we can’t sleep there tonight?’

‘Let me go and have a look at it,’ said Monkey, ‘to see whether it looks lucky or unlucky, and we can then act accordingly.’

‘You can proceed,’ Monkey reported presently. ‘I am certain that good people live there.’

Tripitaka urged on the white horse and soon came to a gate leading into a lane down which came a lad with a cotton wrap round his head, wearing a blue jacket, umbrella in hand and a bundle on his back. He was striding along, with a defiant air. ‘Where are you off to?’ said Monkey stopping him. ‘There’s something I want to ask you. What place is this?’

The man tried to brush him aside, muttering, ‘Is there no one else on the farm, that you must needs pester me with questions ?’

‘Now don’t be cross,’ said Monkey laughing. ‘What harm can it do you to tell me the name of a place? If you’re obliging to us, maybe we can do something to oblige you.’

Finding he could not get past, for Monkey was holding on to him tightly, he began to dance about in a great rage. ‘It’s enough to put anyone out,’ he cried. ‘I’ve just been insulted by the master of the house, and then I run straight into this wretched bald-pate, and have to swallow his impudence!’

‘Unless you’re clever enough to shake me off, which I very much doubt,’ said Monkey, ‘here you’ll stay.’ The man wriggled this way and that, but all to no purpose. He was caught as though by iron pincers. In the struggle he
dropped his bundle, dropped his umbrella, and began to rain blows on Monkey with both fists. Monkey kept one hand free to catch on to the luggage, and with the other held the lad fast.

‘Monkey,’ said Tripitaka, ‘I think there’s someone coming over there. Wouldn’t it do just as well if you asked him, and let this lad go?’

‘Master,’ said Monkey, ‘you don’t know what you’re talking about. There’s no point in asking anyone else. This is the only fellow out of whom we can get what we want.’

At last, seeing that he would never get free, the lad said, ‘This is called old Mr Kao’s farm. Most of the people that live and work here have the surname Kao, so the whole place is called Kao Farm. Now let me go!’