Page:Leaves from my Chinese Scrapbook - Balfour, 1887.djvu/205

 trying to put a stop to the cruel massacre; but he was overpowered by numbers, while his flowers flew like hail about him. "You pack of cut-throat thieves," he cried, in a paroxysm of despair, "have you no honest calling, that you must come here to insult and injure me? Ah, what value is my life to me any longer?" And with that he butted his head furiously against Chang, who, being shaky on his legs, measured his length upon the ground. Then all the bullies, crying "Shame!" rushed up to avenge the fallen hero. Among them was an elderly man, who, seeing that their victim was already far advanced in years, and fearing that serious mischief might be done, attempted to dissuade them from further violence. He assisted Chang to rise; but Chang was beside himself with drink and fury, and, rushing forward like a mad dog, he struck off all the flowers that remained upon their stems and strewed them all over the place. And even then he was not satisfied, but crushed them to pieces with his feet.

Meanwhile the unhappy Tsiu was beating the earth and calling vainly upon Heaven, rolling all over the ground in impotent frenzy. By this time, however, the cries and shrieks of the combatants had reached the neighbours, who came flocking in, and were aghast at the scene of ruin and desolation, and the strange sight of so many lubberly fellows attacking a feeble old man. They immediately put a stop to the spoliation, and asked what it was all about. Some of them, who were the tenants of Chang's father, were inclined to take the part of Chang. At last, however, they managed to get the bully out of the garden-gate. "Tell that old thief he'd better make me a present of the garden," roared he, by way of N