Page:A history of Chinese literature - Giles.djvu/359

 through the wall ; but Wang, seeing the wall in front of him, didn't like to walk at it. As, however, the priest bade him try, he walked quietly up to it and was there stopped. The priest here called out, ' Don't go so slowly. Put your head down and rush at it.' So Wang stepped back a few paces and went at it full speed ; and the wall yielding to him as he passed, in a moment he found himself outside. Delighted at this, he went in to thank the priest, who told him to be careful in the use of his power, or otherwise there would be no response, handing him at the same time some money for his expenses on the way. When Wang got home, he went about bragging of his Taoist friends and his contempt for walls in general ; but as his wife disbelieved his story, he set about going through the performance as before. Stepping back from the wall, he rushed at it full speed with his head down ; but coming in contact with the hard bricks, finished up in a heap on the floor. His wife picked him up and found he had a bump on his forehead as big as a large egg, at which she roared with laughter ; but Wang was overwhelmed with rage and shame, and cursed the old priest for his base ingratitude."

Episodes with a familiar ring about them are often to be found embedded in this collection. For instance :

" She then became a dense column of smoke curling up from the ground, when the priest took an uncorked gourd and threw it right into the midst of the smoke. A sucking noise was heard, and the whole column was drawn into the gourd ; after which the priest corked it up closely and put it in his pouch."

Of such points the following story contains another good example :

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