XCVIII.

A CHINESE JONAH.

A man named Sun Pi-chên was crossing the river[159] when a great thunder-squall broke upon the vessel and caused her to toss about fearfully, to the great terror of all the passengers. Just then, an angel in golden armour appeared standing upon the clouds above them, holding in his hand a scroll inscribed with certain characters, also written in gold, which the people on the vessel easily made out to be three in number, namely _Sun Pi-chên_. So, turning at once to their fellow-traveller, they said to him, “You have evidently incurred the displeasure of Heaven; get into a boat by yourself, and do not involve us in your punishment.” And without giving him time to reply whether he would do so or not, they hurried him over the side into a small boat and set him adrift; but when Sun Pi-chên looked back, lo! the vessel itself had capsized.[160]

FOOTNOTES:

[159] The Yang-tsze: sometimes spoken of as the Long River.

[160] The full point of this story can hardly be conveyed in translation. The man’s surname was Sun, and his prænomen, Pi-chên, (which in Chinese _follows_ the nomen) might be rendered “Must-be-saved.” However, there is another word meaning “struck,” precisely similar in sound and tone, though written differently, to the above _chên_; and, as far as the ear alone is concerned, our hero’s name might have been either _Sun Must-be-saved_ or _Sun Must-be-struck_. That the merchants mistook the character _chên_, “saved,” for _chên_, “struck,” is evident from the catastrophe which overtook their vessel, while Mr. Sun’s little boat rode safely through the storm.