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129 A CHINESE STUDIO 129

with him, related the story of its previous sorrows, winding up by asking where his brother's ghost was. The magician said he didn't know, but turned round with Na and showed him the way to a city where they saw an official servant coming out of the city gates. The magician stopped him, and inquired if he could tell them anj^hing about Ch'eng ; whereupon the man drew out a Ust from a pouch at his side, and, after carefully examining it, replied that among the male and female criminals wiihin there was no one of the name of Chang.* The magician here suggested that the name might be on another list ; but the man replied that he was in charge of that road, and surely ought to know. Na, however, was not satisfied, and persuaded the magician to enter the city, where they met many new and old devils walking about, among whom were some Na had formerly known in life. So he asked them if they could direct him to his brother ; but none of them knew where he was ; and suddenly there was a great commotion, the devils on all sides crying out, " P*u-sa * has come ! " Then, looking up, Na beheld a most beautiful man descending from above, encircled by rays of glory, which shot forth above and below, Ughting up all -around him. " You are in luck's way, Sir," said the magician to Na ; " only once in many thousand years does P'u-sa descend into hell and banish all suffering. He has come to-day." He then made Na kneel, and all the devils began with clasped hands to sing songs of praise to P'u-sa for his compassion in releasing them from their misery, shaking the very earth with the sound. P*u-sa himself, seizing a willow- branch, sprinkled them all with holy water ; and when this was done the clouds and glory melted away, and he vanished from their sight. Na, who had felt the holy water fall upon his neck, now became conscious that the axe-wound was no longer painful ; and the magician then proceeded to lead him back, not quitting him until within sight of the village gate. In fact, Na had been in a trance iEor two days, and when he recovered he told them all

are often temporarily employed in this work by the authorities of Purgatory, their bodies remaining meanwhile in a trance or cata- leptic fit.


 * Their family name.

' The Chinese corrupted form of Bodhisatva. Now widely employed to desiemate any deity of any kind.

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