Page:Journal of the Straits Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society (IA journalofstrait121878roya).pdf/118

 at San-Kong. After this, they performed the funeral ceremonies, and went into the deepest mourning.

We will now return to the five priests, Chhoa, Png, Ma, O, and Li; after shewing their gratitude to their preservers Chia, and Go, they proceeded to the Black Dragon Mountain, where they arrived at dusk, but found no place of shelter; after consultation, the brethren determined to go to the Ko-Khe Temple, and beg hospitality there.

The keeper of the Temple, Ng-Chhang-Seng, and his wife née Chiong, being persons of compassionate and just dispositions, listened to the prayer of the priests, opened the gates of the Temple, received them reverently, and gladly admitted the brethren, treating them in a most hospitable mammer. During the night, the host and his wife conversed with their guests, and of course the priests related the sad tale of all the injuries they had received; the husband and wife being moved with pity, invited them to take up their abode at the temple, until they could devise means of avenging their wrongs.

Who could have imagined, that in half a month's time, the news of the priests' escape, and place of refuge, would get to the ears of the Mandarins? it however did reach them, and they sent troops to the temple, to arrest the brethren; luckily the priests received early information of the intentions of the officials, so, having expressed their gratitude to Chhiang-seng and his wife, they left the Ko-Khe temple, and escaped to the Province of O-Kong, to a temple called that of the "Spiritual King," where they entered a monastery, and dwelt there.

For some time everything went quietly, and one day the five priests went for a stroll to E-Kang-boe; coming to the bank of the river, they suddenly espied a censer floating down the stream; taking up the vase, they saw inscribed on it the characters, "The precious white censer"; it had two cars, its base was a tripod, and the whole was composed of green-stone.

The brethren handed the incense-burner to each other, and in turning it about, they were exceedingly astonished at seeing on the bottom, the following characters engraved; "Overturn the "Chheng" and restore the "Beng." When they had thoroughly comprehended the meaning of the legend, the brethren knelt before the censer and prayed. After this, they took up two broken pieces of coloured pottery, which were lying near the spot, and