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Speaker 1: The wonderful stone from the Chinese in the prefecture of

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shun Tiin there lived a man named Sing Yun Fei,

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who was an amateur meteorologist and would pay any price

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for a good specimen. One day, as he was fishing

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in the river, something caught his net, and diving down,

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he brought up a stone about a foot in diameter,

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beautifully carved on all sides to resemble clustering hills and peaks.

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He was quite as pleased with this as if he

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had found some precious stone, and having had an elegant

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sandalwood stand made for it, he set his prize upon

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the table. Whenever it was about to rain, clouds which

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from a distance looked like new cotton wool, would come

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forth from each of the holes or grottoes on the

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stone and appear to close them up. By and by,

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an influential personage called at the house and begged to

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see the stone, immediately seizing it and handing it over

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to a lusty servant at the same time whipping his

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horse and riding away. Hassing was in despair, but all

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he could do was to mourn the loss of his

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stone and indulge his anger against the thief. Meanwhile, the

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servant who had carried off the stone on his back,

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stopped to rest at a bridge, when all of a

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sudden his hands slipped and the stone fell into the water.

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His master was extremely put out at this and gave

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him a sound beating, subsequently hiring several divers, who tried

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every means in their power to recover the stone, but

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were quite unable to find it. He then went away,

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having first published a notice of reward, and by these

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means many were tempted to seek for the stone. Soon after,

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Saying himself came to the spot, and as he mournfully

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approached the bank lo the water became clear and he

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could see the stone lying at the bottom. Taking off

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his clothes, he quickly jumped in and brought it out,

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together with the sandal wood stand which was still with it.

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He carried it off to his home, but, being no

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longer desirous of showing it to people, he had an

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inner room cleaned and put it in there. Some time afterwards,

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an old man knocked at the door and asked to

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be allowed to see the stone, whereupon Saying replied that

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he had lost it a long time ago. Isn't that

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it in the inner room, said the old man, smiling. Oh,

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walk in and see for yourself if you don't believe me,

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answered Singh. And the old man did walk in, and

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there was a stone on the table. This took sing

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very much back, and the old man then laid his

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hand upon the stone and said, this is an old

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family relic of mine. I lost it many months since

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how does it come to be here? I pray you

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now restore it to me. Hassein didn't know what to say,

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but declared he was the owner of the stone, upon

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which the old man remarked, if it is really yours,

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what evidence can you bring to prove it? Hasseing made

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no reply, and the old man continued to show you

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that I know this stone. I may mention that it

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has altogether ninety two grottos, and that in the largest

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of these are five words a stone from heaven above.

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Hasing looked and found that there were actually some small characters,

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no larger than grains of rice, which, by straining his

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eyes a little, he managed to read. Also that the

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number of grottos was as the old man had said. However,

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he would not give him the stone, and the old

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man laughed and asked, pray, what right have you to

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keep other people's things? He then bowed and went away,

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his saying, escorting him as far as the door. But

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when he returned to the room, the stone had disappeared.

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In a great fight, he ran after the man, who

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had walked slowly and was not far off, and, seizing

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his sleeve, entreated him to give back the stone. Do

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you think, said the latter, that I could conceal a

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stone a foot in diameter in my sleeve? But Haseai

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knew that he must be superhuman and let him back

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to the house, where he threw himself on his knees

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and begged that he might have the stone. Is it

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yours or mine? Asked the old man. Of course it

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is yours, replied saying, though I hope you will consent

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to deny yourself the pleasure of keeping it. In that case,

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said the old man, it is back again, And going

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into the inner room, they found the stone in its

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old place. The jewels of this world, observed the Saint's

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visitor should be given to those who know how to

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take care of them. This stone can choose its own master,

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and I am very pleased that it should remain with you.

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At the same time, I must inform you that it

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was in too great a hurry to come into the

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world of mortals, and has not yet been freed from

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all contingent calamities. I had better take it away with

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me in three years. Hence you shall have it again. If, however,

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you insist on keeping it, then your span of life

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will be shortened by three years, that your terms of

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existence may harmonize together. Are you willing a sing? Said

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he was. Whereupon the old man, with his fingers, closed

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up three of the stone's grottoes, which yielded to his

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touch like mud. When this was done, he turned to

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Sing and told him that the grottos on that stone

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represented the years of his life. And then he took

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his leave, firmly, refusing to remain any longer, and not

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disclosing his name. More than a year after this, Hussaying

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had occasion to go away on business, and in the

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night a thief broke in and carried off the stone,

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taking nothing else at all. When the scene came home,

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he was dreadfully grieved, as if his whole object in

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life was gone, and made all possible inquiries and efforts

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to get it back. But without the slightest result. Some

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time passed, when, one day, going into a temple, the

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saying noticed a man selling stones, and among the rest

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he saw his old friend. Of course, he immediately wanted

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to regain possession of it, but as the stone seller

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would not consent, he shouldered the stone and went off

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to the nearest Mandarin. The stone seller was then asked

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what proof he could give that the stone was his,

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and he replied that the number of grottos was eighty nine.

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Hassaing inquired if that was all he had to say,

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and when the other acknowledged that it was, he himself

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told the magistrate what were the characters inscribed within, also

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calling attention to the finger marks at the closed up grottos.

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He therefore gained his case, and the Mandarin would have

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bambooed the stone seller had he not declared that he

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bought it in the market for twenty ounces of silver,

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whereupon he was dismissed. A high official next offered Hassing

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one hundred ounces of silver for it, but he refused

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to sell it even for ten thousand, which so enraged

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the would be purchaser that he worked up a case

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against his singh and got him put in prison. Hassingh

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was thereby compelled to pawn a great deal of his property,

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and then the official sent someone to try if the

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affair could not be managed through his son, to which hasain.

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On hearing of the attempt, steadily refused to consent, saying

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that he and the stone could not be parted even

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in death. His wife, however, and his son laid their

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heads together and sent the stone to the high official,

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and the Saying only heard of it when he arrived

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home from the prison. He cursed his wife and beat

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his son, and frequently tried to make away with himself,

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though luckily his servants always managed to prevent him from succeeding.

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At night, he dreamed that a noble looking personage appeared

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to him and said, my name is shing Chhang has

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sea stone from heaven. Do not grieve. I purposely quitted

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you for a year and more. But next year, on

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the twentieth of the eighth moon, at dawn, come to

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the high tie gate and buy me back for two

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strings of cash. The Saying was overjoyed this stream and

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carefully took down the day mentioned. Meanwhile, the stone was

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at the official's private house, but as the cloud manifestations seized,

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the stone was less and less prized, and the following year,

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when the official was disgraced for maladministration and subsequently died,

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Hassaying met some of his servants at the high tide gate,

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going off to sell the stone, and purchased it back

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from them for two strings of cash. Hassaan lived till

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he was eighty nine, and then, having prepared the necessities

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for his interment, bade his son bury the stone with him,

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which was accordingly done. Six months later, the robbers broke

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into the vault and made off with the stone, and

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his son tried in vain to secure their capture. However,

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a few days afterwards, he was traveling with the servants

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when suddenly two men rushed forth, dripping with prospiration, and

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looking up into the air, acknowledged their crime, saying, mister Singh,

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please don't terment us. Thus we took the stone and

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sold it for only four ounces of silver. Hasaning son

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and his servants then seized these men and took them

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before the magistrate, where they at once acknowledged their guilt.

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Asking what had become of the stone, they said they

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had sold it to a member of the magistrate's family,

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and when it was produced, that official took such a

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fancy to it that he gave it to one of

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his servants and bade him place it in the treasury. Thereupon,

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the stone slipped out of the servant's hand and broke

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into a hundred pieces, to the great astonishment of all present.

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The magistrate now had the thieves bambooed and sent them away,

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But has saying son picked up the broken pieces of

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the stone and buried them in his father's grave.