Monkey (45 page)

‘Pretty fellow,’ said Pigsy, ‘all I ask for is a fight. Have a good look at this rake!’

‘I can see that you were not a priest to start with,’ said the monster.

‘What makes you think that ?’ said Pigsy.

‘I can tell by your take,’ said the monster. ‘You must have worked in a vegetable garden, and run off with the owner’s muck-rake.’

‘My boy,’ said Pigsy, ‘you are much mistaken if you think that this is an ordinary garden rake. It could comb the ocean and scare the dragons out of their beds.’

The monster paid no heed to these boastings, but raised his brazen mallet and struck at Pigsy’s head. Pigsy warded off the blow with his rake, saying, ‘Cursed creature, I can see that you were not an ogre to start with.’

‘Can you indeed?’ said the monster. ‘How do you make that out?’

‘I can tell by the way you use your mallet,’ said Pigsy. ‘You must have worked in a silversmith’s forge and run off with your master’s mallet.’

‘You’re much mistaken,’ said the monster, ‘if you imagine that this is an ordinary silverworker’s mallet. It comes from the Garden of the Immortals, where it was tempered in magic fountains, so that no axe, spear, halberd, or sword can withstand it.’

Sandy, seeing them engaged in dispute, could not refrain from stepping up and shouting, ‘Monster, waste no more random talk! The men of old said, “What the mouth speaks proves nothing; only by deeds can men be judged.” Stand your ground and eat my staff.’

‘I can see that you weren’t a priest to start with,’ said the monster, fending off the blow.

‘How do you know ?’ said Sandy.

‘You look to me as though you had worked in a pastrycook’s shop at one time or another,’ said he.

‘What makes you think that ?’ said Sandy.

‘Well, if not,’ said the monster, ‘where did you learn to use that rolling-pin of yours ?’

‘Monster,’ cried Sandy, ‘learn to use your eyes. This is no common article, but a weapon so unique in the world that few have ever heard of it. This staff came from the most secret recesses of the Palace of the Moon, and is guaranteed to shatter all the majesty of Heaven at a single blow.’

For two hours the three of them battled at the bottom of the water, without victory on either side. At last, seeing that the monster could not be overcome, Pigsy winked at Sandy and both of them pretended to give up the fight, and made away at top speed. ‘Little ones,’ said the monster, ‘stay on guard here while I chase these fellows. When I have caught them, you shall all have your share to eat!’ Look at him! Like a leaf driven by the autumn wind or a fallen petal struck down by the rain, he fled after them up to the outer air.

Monkey was watching the water intently. Suddenly he saw a great heaving of the waves and heard a noise of grunting and panting. ‘Here we are!’ cried Pigsy, jumping out on to the bank. He was soon followed by Sandy, and a moment later the monster’s head appeared above the water. ‘Look out for my cudgel!’ cried Monkey. The monster ducked, and fended the blow with his mallet. They had not finished three bouts when the monster, unable any longer to fend Monkey’s blows, and worn out, slipped down into the stream, and all was quiet again.

‘Brother,’ said Sandy, ‘you were a match for him up here; but now that he’s down below again, things are as bad as ever. How are we to rescue the Master ?’

‘It’s no use going on like this,’ said Monkey. ‘You two stay here and see that he doesn’t slip off somewhere, and I’ll go away.’

‘Away! Where to ?’ cried Pigsy.

‘I’m going to the Bodhisattva in the Southern Ocean,’ said Monkey, ‘to find out who this monster really is. When I know, I shall go to his ancestral home, seize all his friends and relations, and then come back here, deal with the creature himself and rescue the Master.’

‘Brother,’ said Pigsy, ‘that all sounds very roundabout and will waste a lot of time.’

‘Not a bit of it,’ said Monkey. ‘I shan’t waste a minute, I’ll be back almost before I start.’

Dear Monkey! He shot up on a shaft of magic light and was soon at the Southern Ocean. In less than half an hour, Mount Potalaka rose up before him. He lowered his cloud, and was met by the twenty-four devas, the guardian spirits of the
mountain, Moksha, and the Dragon King’s daughter, carrying the Pearl.

‘Great Sage, what brings you here ?’ they asked.

‘I have business with the Bodhisattva,’ he said.

‘She left her cave early this morning,’ said they, ‘allowing no one to follow her, and went into the bamboo grove. But she evidently expected you; for she told us to receive you here, if you came, and not to bring you to her at once. Just sit down here for a while and wait till she comes out of the grove.’

Monkey soon grew tired of waiting. ‘You might tell her,’ said he, ‘that if she doesn’t come soon, it may be too late to save Tripitaka’s life.’

‘We dare not do that,’ said the divinities. ‘The Bodhisattva said you were to wait till she came.’

Monkey was by nature extremely impatient, and presently he strode off towards the grove. ‘Hallo, Bodhisattva!’ he cried when he reached it, ‘your servant Monkey pays his humble compliments.’

‘Kindly wait outside,’ said Kuan-yin.

‘Bodhisattva,’ he cried, kow-towing, ‘my Master is in difficulties, and I have come to you to get particulars about this monster who haunts the River that Flows to Heaven.’

‘Go away and wait till I come out,’ she repeated.

Monkey dared not disobey and going back to the divinities he said, ‘I got a glimpse of the Bodhisattva. I don’t know what she’s up to today. Instead of sitting on her lotus terrace, she is poked away all by herself in the bamboo grove, paring bamboo strips. She has not even bothered to make up, or put on her jewels.’

‘We know no more than you do,’ they said. ‘But as she is expecting you, she is probably busy doing something on your behalf.’

There was nothing for it but to wait again. After a while, the Bodhisattva came out of the grove, carrying a bamboo basket. ‘Come along,’ she said. ‘We’ll go and rescue Tripi-taka.’

‘I shouldn’t like to hurry you,’ said Monkey, kneeling. ‘Wouldn’t you like to finish dressing first ?’

‘I can’t be bothered,’ she said. ‘I’m going just as I am.’ She sailed away on her cloud roll, followed by Monkey.

‘That’s quick work,’ said Pigsy, when they appeared above the river bank. ‘It takes a lot of hustling to make a Bod-hisattva come straight along, without even doing her hair or putting on her jewels.’

The Bodhisattva floated low over the river, and untying her sash tied the basket to it and trailed it through the water, upstream. ‘The dead go, the living stay.’ When she had repeated this charm seven times she drew up the basket. In it flashed the tail of a golden fish; its eyes blinked and its tail twitched. ‘Go at once into the water and fetch up your Master,’ cried the Bodhisattva.

‘But I haven’t dealt yet with the monster,’ protested Monkey.

‘The monster is in this basket,’ said the Bodhisattva.

‘What?’ cried Pigsy and Sandy. ‘A fish do all that harm?’

‘It is a goldfish that I reared in my lotus pond. Every day it used to put its head out and listen to the scriptures, thus acquiring great magical powers. Its mallet was a lotus stalk, topped by an unopened bud, that this creature by its magic turned into a weapon. One day there was a flood and it got washed out of the pool and floated out to sea, finally reaching the place where you found him. Leaning on the balustrade and looking at the flowers, I was surprised not to see this fellow coming out to salute me. A close inspection of the ripples convinced me that he had gone this way, and might be molesting your Master. So without even stopping to comb my hair or put on my jewels, I plaited this magic basket to capture him in.’

‘In that case,’ said Monkey, ‘wait a minute, and I’ll call all the faithful of the village to come and gaze upon your golden visage. They will be glad to show their gratitude, and we can tell them just how the monster was recovered. That will increase the faith of these mortals, and promote their piety.’

‘Very well then,’ said the Bodhisattva. ‘Go and fetch them quickly.’

Pigsy and Sandy ran back to the farm and shouted, ‘All of you come and see the living Bodhisattva!’

Men and women, young and old, all trooped to the river bank, and regardless of puddles and mud flung themselves to their knees. Among them there happened to be a skilful painter, who made a portrait of the Bodhisattva; and this was the beginning of the form of Kuan-yin known as ‘Kuan-yin with the Fish-basket’. Soon she withdrew to the Southern Ocean, and Pigsy and Sandy made their way down through the water to Turtle House. Here they found all the monster’s fish followers lying dead and rotting. Going behind the palace they soon hoisted Tripitaka out of the stone chest and carried him back through the waves.

‘We are afraid, reverend Sir, that you let yourself in for a very bad time by declining our invitation to stay on,’ said the brothers Ch’£n, when Tripitaka arrived.

‘There is no need to harp on that now,’ said Monkey. ‘The main thing is that next year the village will not have to supply victims for the sacrifice. You are rid of your Great King forever, and need fear no more. We must now trouble you to find us a boat to take us across the river.’

‘You shall nave it!’ cried Mr Ch’Sn, and he ordered planks to be sawn and a boat made. The people of the village vied with one another in helping with the equipment. One promised to make himself responsible for the masts and sails, another for paddles and poles. One offered to supply ropes, another to pay the sailors. In the midst of all the commotion that was going on by the river side, a voice was suddenly heard saying, ‘Great Sage, you need not trouble to build a boat. It is a waste of good material. I will take you across.’ So startled were they all that the more timid bolted back to the village, and even the bolder among them only dared peep cautiously in the direction from which the voice came. In a moment a square, white head appeared above the waves, and there presently emerged a huge white turtle. ‘Great Sage,’ the turtle said again, ‘don’t trouble to build a boat. I will take you across.’

‘Cursed creature!’ cried Monkey. ‘Move an inch further and I’ll club you to death with this cudgel.’

‘I am deeply beholden to you,’ said the turtle, ‘and want to show my gratitude by taking you all across. Why do you threaten me with your cudgel ?’

‘For what are you beholden to me ?’ asked Monkey.

‘Great Sage’ said the turtle, ‘you do not realize that this Turtle House under the river was my home, and belonged to my ancestors for generations past. Owing to the magic powers that I won by my austerities I was able to improve the place considerably and make it into the handsome water palace that you saw. But one day this monster came churning through the waves and made a wanton attack upon me. In the fight that ensued many of my children were hurt and many of my kinsmen taken. I could not stand up against him and my home with all that was in it fell into his hands. But now, owing to your having persuaded the Bodhisattva to call in this monster, I have been able to recover possession of my house. I am happily installed there with the remaining kinsmen whom I have been able to gather about me. We are not left out in the mud, but can live comfortably in our old home. My gratitude for this is high as the hills and deep as the sea. But we are not the only ones to benefit. The people of the village will no longer have to supply- children for the yearly sacrifice. It is indeed a case of two gains at one move! Surely it is natural that I should wish to show my gratitude.’

‘Are we really to believe that you are speaking the truth ?’ said Monkey, withdrawing his cudgel.

‘But Great Sage,’ said the Turtle, ‘how would I dare to deceive you, after all you have done for me ?’

‘Swear to Heaven that this is the truth,’ said Monkey.

The turtle opened its red mouth wide and swore as follows: ‘If I do not bring Tripitaka safely across the river as I have promised to do, may my bones turn into water!’

‘That’s good enough,’ said Monkey. ‘You can come out.’

The turtle then pushed close in to shore and lumbered up on to the bank. Pressing round him, the people saw that he had a great white carapace, full forty feet in diameter.

‘Get on board,’ said Monkey, ‘and we’ll all go across.’

‘Disciple,’ said Tripitaka, ‘the ice was slippery; but at any
rate it stayed still. I am afraid that this turtle’s back will be very unsteady.’

‘Don’t worry,’ said Monkey, ‘when creatures can speak human language, they generally tell the truth. Come, brothers, make haste and bring our horse.’

The white horse was led on to the middle of the turtle’s back; Tripitaka stood on the left, and Sandy on the right, while Pigsy stood behind its tail. Monkey placed himself in front of the horse’s head, and fearing trouble undid the sash of his tiger-skin apron and tied it to the turtle’s nose, holding the other end in one hand, while in the other hand he grasped his iron cudgel. Then with one foot on the creature’s head and the other firmly on its carapace, ‘Now turtle, go gently!’ he cried. ‘And remember, at the least sign of a wobble, you’ll get a crack on the head.’

‘I shouldn’t dare,’ said the turtle, ‘I shouldn’t dare.’

Then while the turtle set off smoothly over the waters, the villagers on the bank burnt incense and kow-towed, murmuring ‘Glory be to Buddha, glory be to Buddha.’