Page:Shen of the Sea.pdf/36

 look of compassion from old Wu Chang. "The Honorable One is surely jesting. He, of course, knows that Chieh Chung was the first King of Wa Tien."

"Oh, to be sure," I interrupted. "It was Chieh Chung who invented—hum—er radishes." That was a guess, and a miss.

Wu Chang corrected me. "Not radishes, but writing. A mistaken thing to do, in my opinion. But beyond doubt he did a great service when he bottled the water demons. Ho. Ho. Ho. He bottled the demons as if they were melon pickles. Ho. Ho. Ho."

"Sit here in the shade, Wu Chang," said I. "So Chieh Chung pickled the water demons—and then what?"

"Not pickled, Honorable One, bottled. Chieh Chung bottled the demons. Ho. Ho. Ho You must understand that in those days the plain hereabouts was much lower than it is now. It had not been built up. And the sea was much higher in those days, for then there were no heavy ships to weigh it down, and flatten it. The sea was very high then-a-days, far too high for its breadth.