Chapter IX Among Mermaids and Mermen

GENERAL YANG at once sent an officer
into the camp of the enemy to restore the
pin to King Chan-bo. The army was then
set in motion and moved forward till it reached Tai-
san, where the valley was exceedingly narrow with
room only for horsemen to pass in single file. Circling
a wall of rock they skirted the high bank of a river.
In a long thin line of procession they went like fishes
in a stream, till after some hundred li they found a
fairly roomy place and there pitched their camp and
rested. The soldiers were greatly worn by thirst
and could find no drinking water. There was beneath
the mountain a large lake toward which they struggled.
Scarcely had they tasted of it, however, than their
bodies turned green and they became dumb. Tremb-
ling seized them, and the expression of their faces
grew fixed as in death.

The General was greatly distressed and went him-
self to look at the lake, the water of which was green
and the depth of it beyond his power to fathom. A
cold, forbidding breath seemed to issue from it like
the frosts of autumn. Then he remembered, and
said : " This must be the place that Sim Nyo-yon
referred to as Pan-sa-gok." He urged those soldiers
who were able to do so to dig wells, and though they
dug in several hundred places to the depth of ten kil
and more, not a drop of water was to be found.
The General determined at once to miove his camp

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to another place, when suddenly the sound of drums
was heard from behind the mountain. The earth
shook and trembled and the valleys echoed. Evidently
the enemy had blocked the way in this dangerous
defile and had cut off all means of retreat.

Thus were the Imperial forces dying of thirst, and
menaced in front and to the rear. The General sat in
his tent vainly thinking by what means he might
extricate himself from the difficulty. In his distress
and weariness he leant on his desk and fell asleep.
Suddenly a sweet fragrance seemed to envelop the
camp and two maidens came before him. Their
faces were wonderful, and he knew that if they were
not fairies they must be of a certainty disembodied
spirits.

Said they : " We have a message from our Lady
Superior to your Excellency ; please condescend to
come with us to our lowly place of dwelling."

The General asked : " Pray, who is your mistress,
and where does she live ? "

They said : ** Our mistress is the younger daughter
of the Tong-jong Dragon King. She has left the
palace for a little and is living here."

The General replied : " But the place of residence
of the Dragon King [34] is underneath the water and
I am but a man of mortal race. By what possible law
can my body descend to your depths ? "

The maidens made answer : " We have spirit
horses tethered outside the gate. If your Excellency
will but mount one of these you will go there without
trouble. The Water Palace is not far off, and there is
no difficulty coimected with the journey."

Yang then followed the maidens to the entrance

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outside the camp, and found there a score or more
of servants of pecuUar appearance, wearing strange
dresses. They took hold of him and set him upon his
horse. The creature went skimming along, its feet
never touching the ground, and suddenly they were
at the Water Palace. The palace was high, massive,
and beautifully built, as a place where a king dwells
should be. Guards with fish heads and beards like
the whale stood before the entrance. Several wait-
ing-maids came from within, opened the gate and
led the general to the throne room. In the hall of
audience there was a white marble seat facing south,
and the maids persuaded Yang to come forward and
be seated there. A silken rug covered the floor and
led off toward the inner chambers. In a little, a dozen
or so of waiting women accompanied a fair lady from
the apartment to the left and conducted her to the
centre of the audience hall. Her appearance was very
beautiful, and her dress more splendid than words
can describe. One of the ladies came forward and
said : " The daughter of the Dragon King desires
to meet General Yang."

The General gave a start and attempted to make his
escape, but they took him by the arms and held him
prisoner, while they made him bow four times before
this daughter of the Dragon King. Clinking of gem
ornaments made sweet music for the occasion, while
the odour of soft perfume greeted the nostrils.

The General invited her up to the throne seat
beside him, but the Dragon King's daughter declined
and instead caused a small mat to be spread on which
she sat. Said he : "I am but a being from among
mortal men, while your ladyship is a daughter of the

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world of spirits. Why should you prepare for me so
elaborate and extravagant a reception ? "

The Dragon King's daughter said : "I am Pak
Neung-pa, the youngest child of the King of Tong-
jong. When I was bom my father was having an
audience with God Almighty, and there he met Chang
Jin-in, of whom he inquired concerning my future
fortune. Jin-in took my birth characters and un-
folded them, saying : ' This daughter, in essence, is
one of the fairies, but because of sin that she has
committed she has been sent into exile and has be-
come your child. She will later take on human form
and be the wife of a famous and gifted man. She will
enjoy great riches and honour, and all the delights of
eye and ear. In the end she will return to the Buddha
and become a priestess of the priestesses. We dragon
folk who have merman ancestors and dwell in the
midst of the sea count it great glory to be born into
human form, or to arrive at the state of the fairy or
the Buddha. For this we all long. My eldest sister at
first became a daughter-in-law of the Dragon King of
Kyong-soo, but because she was unhappy in her
marriage the two homes were rendered unfriendly
and she married again Prince Yoo-jin, where her
relations honoured her and all her attendants rever-
enced her. As for myself, I expect by and by to meet
my appointed lord, and even to surpass my sister in
glory and honour.'

" When my father heard what Jin-in said, he
loved and prized me more than ever, and all the
waiting-women of the palace treated me as an angel
visitor from heaven. When I grew up, Oh-hyon, the
son of the Dragon King of Nam-hai, who had heard

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The Dragon King Defeated : Among the Mermaids

Among Mermaids and Mermen

of my history and attainments, asked marriage with
me of my father, and because we of Tong-jong are
under the authority of Nam-hai, my father dared
not refuse but went instead and explained what Jin-in
had said, asking permission to withhold his consent.
For this the Dragon King on behalf of his proud son
told my father that he had deceived him, severely
reprimanded him, and became most insistent in the
matter of the marriage. I reasoned to myself : ' If I
am with my parents I shall not escape dishonour, so
there is nothing else for me to do but to make my
escape.' This I did, breaking through thorns and
briars and taking refuge by myself in this unknown
place. Here I am living poorly and in fear while the
persecution on the part of the King of Nam-hai lasts.
My parents said : ' Our daughter does not wish your
son but has run away and hidden herself.' The
foolish boy, however, regardless of my sufferings,
gathered an army and came and tried to take me
prisoner. My cries of despair moved heaven and
earth so that the waters of the lake changed and
became cold as ice and dark as hell. Thus the troops
have not dared to enter it, and I have been preserved
and have escaped with my life. To-day I ventured to
invite your Excellency to come to this humble home
of mine, not only to tell you how I am circum-
stanced, but also to consider how the Imperial troops
have long suffered want and lacked water, no springs
appearing in the wells they dig. The work of digging
and delving is a great labour, and though you dig
through the whole mountain a thousand cubits and
more, no water will be forthcoming. Human power
is not equal to it. The original name of this lake was

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The Cloud Dream of the Nine

Chong-su-tam, Bright Water Lake, It was wonder-
fully sweet then, but since I have come here to live,
the flavour has changed and all who drink of it fall
ill, so that the name now is Paik-yong-tam, White
Dragon Lake. Since your Excellency has accepted my
invitation my soul has found a place of def)endence,
like spring coming back to the shaded hill. I put
myself under your care and my life into your keeping.
Your anxieties become my anxieties, so I shall use
all my powers to give you aid. From now on the
flavour of the water will be sweet as formerly, no
harm will come to the soldiers who_ drink of it, and
those who are ill will recover."

The General said : " Now that I have heard your
ladyship's words, I realise that people are mated in
heaven, that the devils know of it, and that the
decision of the Grandmother of the Moon [35] is
something for which it is worth casting lots. All
your wishes find their complement in mine."

The Dragon King's daughter said : " I have already
made promise to you of this humble body, but, in
short, there are three reasons why I ought not to be
mated to your Excellency. The first is, I have not
yet told my parents ; the second, that I should
accompany you only after I have changed this form
of mine. I still have the scales and fishy odours of the
mermaid, with fins that would defile my lord's
presence. The third reason is that the messengers of
the son of Nam-hai are all about spying in every nook
and corner. It would be sure to arouse their anger
and to cause disaster and no end of trouble. Let your
Excellency retire to the camp as soon as possible,
destroy the enemy, win great renown, and return to

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the capital singing your song of victory. Later, your
servant will pick up her skirts, emerge from the
waters, and follow you to your home in the great
city."

The General said : " Though your ladyship's
words are most acceptable, it seems to me that your
being here is not only to preserve your own honour,
but because the Dragon King desired you to await my
coming and to please me. Your ladyship was a fairy
in your former life, and therefore you have a spiritual
nature. Between men and disembodied spirits
intercourse may be carried on without wrong being
done, then why should I have any special aversion
to fins and scales ? Though I have no special
natural gifts, still I am under orders from His Im-
perial Majesty with a million of troops at my com-
mand, with the wild winds for guide and the spirit
of the sea for my protector. If I can but meet this
wilful child of the South Sea he will be but an
insect for me to crush. If he does not at once
repent and cease from his foolishness, I shall un-
sheathe my sword and finish him. We have met thus
happily to-night, why should we miss the oppor-
tunity to seal our happy contract ? " So they swore
the oath of marriage, and found great delight in each
other.

Before the day dawned fully a sound of thunder
was heard, so that the Crystal Palace shook and
trembled. Then the daughter of the Dragon King gave
a start and arose, while the palace women in intense
excitement came to her and said that a fearful dis-
aster had overtaken them. The Crown Prince of Nam-
hai had brought a vast army to the foot of the hills,

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The Cloud Dream of the Nine

had pitched his camp, and now demanded that they
try the fierce odds of battle.

The General, in anger, said : " Mad creature, how
can he dare so to venture ? " He shook his sleeves
and arose, sprang forth to the shores of the waters,
where he found that the Nam-hai soldiers were
already encircling the walls of the Paik-yong-tam
with a wild clamour of noise, and causing noxious
odours to arise on all sides. The so-called Prince
Imperial on horseback rode swiftly out of the camp
and shouted : " Who are you who would dare to
steal another man's wife ? I swear I will no longer
live on the same earth with you."

The General mounted his charger, laughed, and
said : " The daughter of the Dragon King of Tong-
jong and I have been mated to one another from a
former existence, and it is so recorded in the palace
of the great God, as Jin-in well knoweth. I am but
carrying out the will of heaven and doing as I have been
directed. A contemptible creature of a merman like
you to dare to affront me thus ! " He commanded his
troops to form in order and to advance to the attack.

The Prince Imperial, in fury, called together all the
fishes of the sea ; a carp, the general of the forces ; a
turtle, his chief of staff. He aroused them to a pitch
of wild enthusiasm so that they advanced with un-
exampled bravery.

The General met them by a counter sword attack
and raised aloft his white stone whip. In a moment,
thousands and tens of thousands were crushed be-
neath the blow. Pulverised scales and fins bedewed
the earth. The Prince himself received two or three
spear thrusts, so that power to metamorphose departed

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from him, and finally he was captured, taken prisoner,
bound, and brought before the charger of the General.
Greatly pleased, Yang sounded a bugle call to his
troops to retire, when the gate guards brought him
word, saying : " The lady of Paik-yong-tam is now
before the camp entrance and wishes to congratulate
your Excellency on so great a victory."

Courtiers were sent forth to show her in. She pre-
sented her distinguished compliments, and added a
thousand measures of wine and ten thousand head
of cattle to feast the soldiers. They ate to the full, and
were a hundred times more than ever incited to deeds
of bravery.

General Yang then sat side by side with the
daughter of the Dragon King and ordered that the
Prince Imperial of Nam-hai be brought before them.
In a commanding voice he addressed him thus : "I
am under orders from the Emperor to beat down
rebellion in all quarters of the State, and to put far
from us devils who disobey Imperial commands. You,
however, a little child, ignorant of what is right,
desire to oppose the troops and thus to die by suicide.
I have a sword called Eui-song-sang, the same sharp
knife with which I killed the King of Kyong-hai.
With it I ought to cut off your head to prove the truth
of my words, but your dwelling in Nam-hai gives
rain to a wide world of men and is for that reason
deserving of merit . I shall therefore forgive you . Cease
from your past evil ways, and do not sin any more
against this woman." So he sent him off.

The prince was so overcome that he was unable to
draw a long breath. He bowed low and ran for his life
like a rat that desires to hide itself.

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Suddenly a bright light arose from the south-east
and a red cloud shone forth that sparkled with varie-
gated colours. Flags and battle-axe insignia became
visible in the upper air, and an angel dressed in scarlet
bowed low and said : " The Dragon Bang of Tong-
jong, learning that General Yang had scattered the
troops of Nam-hai and saved the princess from dis-
honour, desired to come himself to the camp and
offer his congratulations, but being held by his office
and unable to leave of his own free-will, he has
arranged instead a great feast in honour of the
General and now invites him to come. Please will
your Excellency condescend to follow me ? He com-
mands also that the princess attend us."

General Yang said : " Although the enemy is
driven off they still have their camp close by. Tong-
jong is thousands of miles from here. It would take
many days to go and come. How can one thus in
command of troops go so far away ? "

The angel said : " The light dragons are hitched
to the sky- wagon and are ready. Half a day will be
quite sufficient for you to go and return."

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