bear to the original China somewhat the relation that New Mexico and Arizona bear to Virginia and New England. Granted that Chinese civilisation has overspread this section, how about the aborigines before that wave reached them? The answer shall be given as it was written out by a teacher in the Guild School in the Foochow district, idiomatically translated by my friend L. P. Peet, M.A., of Yale. Be it recollected that some aborigines yet survive in the hills, steadily refraining from intermixture.

In the Ming Dynasty the country [then called U Cu] belonged to China. During the Mings there was an Emperor, by name, Kao Hsing Huangti [15221567]. In his time there was a country on the Western Half of the globe called Siu Iu; the country came and engaged in war with this Emperor, who was very badly defeated, not one of his generals daring to go out and fight against this Western Country. The Emperor of this Western Country became more and more proud and arrogant, causing the Emperor Kao Hsing to become very hot, so that he issued a notice calling for the enlistment of good men; this proclamation said, “Whoever is able to go and punish this Western Country and beat it, he shall have my own daughter in marriage. Her will I give to the leader of the victorious army.'

Just at this time there was a commander in the U Cu country who saw this proclamation; and this general was raising a dog; this dog stood two feet high and his length was over two and a half feet, colour flower-white; the dog was very ugly in behaviour, one that would scare people very readily; he ate and slept with his owner. This general thought within himself, "I will to-morrow go and announce to the Emperor Kao Hsing that I wish myself to go and fight." While he was thus thinking within himself, this dog came running in and barked

Chia Ching (Pekingese pronunciation) is the name of his year-title.

AFTER A TYPHOON THERE ARE PEARS TO GATHER

furiously at his side. The commander asked the dog, "Can you for me go and fight?" Dog nodded his head and said he could. And so this commander went and announced to the Huangti. Huangti was very glad on hearing of this and gave him a warrant to go and fight. Then the commander gave this commission to the dog, which took it in his mouth and swam to the Western Land. The Emperor of the Western Land, seeing the dog, was very happy and said, "The Central Kingdom has already been badly defeated, and even their dogs are fleeing to my country and come and join my side." Therefore this Western Country's Emperor received the dog into his country and nourished him in his palace, so that the dog slept and ate with the Emperor of the Western Country.

The dog thought within himself, "You are feeding me so well, yet in my heart I have the spirit of revenge and hence cannot receive the attentions of the Western King any longer." Therefore having visited him about ten days, on the night of the last day the dog waited until the Emperor of the Western Country was asleep, and in great haste bit off the Western Country's Emperor's head and carried it in his mouth back to the Central Kingdom to the great general, and the great general took it to Kao Hsing.

Then Kao Hsing investigated, asking his general how he overcame the Western Emperor; the general then told him about the dog. When Kao Hsing heard this he was very glad and he was sorry; glad because he overcame him, and sorry because he did not wish to give his daughter as wife to a dog. Therefore, as he could not take back his words, and the dog was victorious, yet how could he give his daughter to a dog? Then he asked the general, could this dog be turned into a person. The general then asked the dog, "Can you change into a person?" The dog bowed his head. That night in a dream the dog spoke to the general:

"You must crush me in a measure, and wait seven times forty days; I shall then be changed into a man." Therefore the general went to Huangti and told him to do this. Kao Hsing was pleased to do it, therefore he called his general to bring the dog into his palace.

Then he put this dog on a great tray, and he put the measure on top of him, and then put the whole into a great basket, and suspended it from a very high place to wait till the seven times forty days were finished.

Before the set time, only forty-five days, because the heavens were constantly sending down rain, the thunder was very great. The Empress was much frightened, and thought that as this dog for all these days had nothing to eat he would certainly die; therefore she ran and opened up the basket to see if the dog was alive. But the dog was alive; his whole body had changed except his head, and that was because the limit of the time had not come, therefore he was not wholly changed. Now there is no help for it! Kao Hsing Huangti's daughter must be given him to wife, to this dog-headed man in the basket! But this creature was not good to look at, therefore they took a cloth and flung it over his head with the idea of covering up his shame.

Even to the present days, with these North Mountain women, in front of their coiffure there is a tassel which is to explain about the cloth covering the head. Therefore all their life long they cannot change this coiffure. If they do change they do so by changing their husbands, therefore their coiffure is never changed. At the present time when the Central Kingdom celebrates the New Year, these people draw upon large charts the figure of a dog and worship it, and say that it is their ancestor who was victorious over the Western Kingdom Emperor, and the officials of the Central Kingdom cannot control them. These mountain people plant tea and sweet potatoes, and make brooms. At the present time in the earth, persons who bear the surnames Lei, Chung, Lang, Pan, these four surnames, belong to the descendants of this dog! These