Monkey (21 page)

Tripitaka had not been long on the road with Monkey and had only just got clear of the Mountain of the Two Frontiers,
when a tiger suddenly appeared, roaring savagely and lashing its tail. Tripitaka was terrified, but Monkey seemed delighted. ‘Don’t be frightened, Master,’ he said. ‘He has only come to supply me with an apron.’ So saying, he took a needle from behind his ear and, turning his face to the wind, made a few magic passes, and instantly it became a huge iron cudgel. ‘It is five hundred years since I last used this precious thing,’ he said, ‘and today it is going to furnish me with a little much-needed clothing.’

Look at him! He strides forward, crying,’ Cursed creature, stand your ground!’ The tiger crouched in the dust and dared not budge. Down came the cudgel on its head. The earth was spattered with its blood. Tripitaka rolled off his horse as best he could, crying with an awe-struck voice, ‘Heavens! When the hunter killed that stripy tiger yesterday, he struggled with it for hours on end. But this disciple of mine walked straight up to the tiger and struck it dead. True indeed is the saying “Strong though he be, there is always a stronger”.’

‘Sit down a while,’ said Monkey, ‘and wait while I undress him; then when I am dressed, we’ll go on.’

‘How can you undress him?’ said Tripitaka. ‘He hasn’t got any clothes.’

‘Don’t worry about me,’ said Monkey. ‘I know what 1 am about.’

Dear Monkey! He took a hair from his tail, blew on it with magic breath, and it became a sharp little knife, with which he slit the tiger’s skin straight down and ripped it off in one piece. Then he cut off the paws and head, and trimmed the skin into one big square. Holding it out, he measured it with his eye, and said, ‘A bit too wide. I must divide it in two.’ He cut it in half, put one half aside and the other round his waist, making it fast with some rattan that he pulled up from the roadside. ‘Now we can go,’ he said, ‘and when we get to the next house, I’ll borrow a needle and thread and sew it up properly.’

‘What has become of your cudgel?’ asked Tripitaka, when they were on their way again.

‘I must explain to you,’ said Monkey. ‘This cudgel is a piece of magic iron that I got in the Dragon King’s palace, and
it was with it that I made havoc in Heaven. I can make it as large or as small as I please. Just now I made it the size of an embroidery needle and put it away behind my ear, where it is always at hand in case I need it.’

‘And why,’ asked Tripitaka, ‘did that tiger, as soon as it saw you, crouch down motionless and allow you to strike it just as you chose ?’

“The fact is,’ said Monkey, ‘that not only tigers but dragons too dare not do anything against me. But that is not all. I have such arts as can make rivers turn back in their course, and can raise tempests on the sea. Small wonder, then, that I can filch a tiger’s skin. When we get into real difficulties you will see what I am really capable of.’

‘Master,’ said Monkey presently, ‘it is getting late. Over there is a clump of trees, and I think there must be a house. We had better see if we can spend the night there.’ Tripitaka whipped his horse, and soon they did indeed come to a farm, outside the gates of which he dismounted. Monkey cried ‘Open the door!’ and presently there appeared a very old man, leaning on a staff. Muttering to himself, he began to push open the door, but when he saw Monkey, looking (with the tiger skin at his waist) for all the world like a thunder demon, he was terrified out of his wits and could only murmur ‘There’s a devil at the door, sure enough there’s a devil 1’ Tripitaka came up to him just in time to prevent him hobbling away. ‘Old patron,’ he said, ‘you need not be afraid. This is not a devil; it is my disciple.’ Seeing that Tripitaka at any rate was a dean-built, comely man, he took comfort a little and said, ‘I don’t know what temple you come from, but you have no right to bring such an evil-looking fellow to my house.’

‘I come from the Court of T’ang,’ said Tripitaka, ‘and I am going to India to get Scriptures. As my way brought me near your house, I have come here in the hope that you would consent to give me a night’s lodging. I shaH be starting off again tomorrow before daybreak.’

‘You may be a man of T’ang,’ said the old man, ‘but I’ll warrant that villainous fellow is no man of T’ang I’

‘Have you no eyes in your head,’ shouted Monkey. “The
man of T’ang is my master. I am his disciple, and no man of T’ang or sugar-man
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or honey-man either. I am the Great Sage Equal of Heaven. You people here know me well enough, and I have seen you before.’

‘Where have you seen me?’ he asked. ‘Didn’t you when you were small cut the brushwood from in front of my face and gather the herbs that grew on my cheek ?’

‘The stone monkey in the stone casket!’ gasped the old man. ‘I see that you are a little like him. But how did you get out?’

Monkey told the whole story, and the old man at once bowed before him, and asked them both to step inside.

‘Great Sage, how old are you?’ the old man asked, when they were seated.

‘Let us first hear your age,’ said Monkey.

‘A hundred and thirty,’ said the old man.

‘Then you are young enough to be my great-great-grandson at least,’ said Monkey. ‘I have no idea when I was born. But I was under that mountain for five hundred years.’

‘True enough,’ said the old man. ‘I remember my grandfather telling me that this mountain was dropped from Heaven in order to trap a monkey divinity, and you say that you have only just got out. When I used to see you in my childhood, there was grass growing out of your head and mud on your cheeks. I was not at all afraid of you then. Now there is no mud on your cheeks and no grass on your head. You look thinner, and with that tiger-skin at your waist, who would know that you weren’t a devil ?’

‘I don’t want to give you all a lot of trouble,’ said Monkey presently, ‘but it is five hundred years since I last washed. Could you let us have a little hot water ? I am sure my Master would be glad to wash too.’

When they had both washed, they sat down in front of the lamp. ‘One more request,’ said Monkey. ‘Could you lend me a needle and thread ?’

‘By all means, by all means,’ said the old man, and he told his old wife to bring them. Just then Monkey caught sight of a white shirt that Tripitaka had taken off when
he washed and not put on again. He snatched it up and put it on. Then he wriggled out of the tiger-skin, sewed it up in one piece, made a ‘horse-face fold’
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and put it round his waist again, fastening the rattan belt. Presenting himself to Tripitaka he said, ‘How do you like me in this garb? Is it an improvement?’

‘Splendid!’ said Tripitaka. ‘Now you really do look like a pilgrim.’

‘Disciple,’ added Tripitaka, ‘if you don’t mind accepting an off-cast, you can have that shirt for your own.’

They rose early next day, and the old man brought them washing-water and breakfast. Then they set out again on their way, lodging late and starting early for many days. One morning they suddenly heard a cry and six men rushed out at them from the roadside, all armed with pikes and swords. ‘Halt, priest!’ they cried. ‘We want your horse and your packs, and quickly too, or you will not escape with your life.’

Tripitaka, in great alarm, slid down from his horse and stood there speechless.

‘Don’t worry,’ said Monkey. ‘This only means more clothes and travelling-money for us.’

‘Monkey, are you deaf?’ said Tripitaka. ‘They ordered us to surrender the horse and luggage, and you talk of getting clothes and money from them 1’

‘You keep an eye on the packs and the horse,’ said Monkey, ‘while I settle matters with them! You’ll soon see what I mean.’

‘They are very strong men and there are six of them,’ said Tripitaka. ‘How can a little fellow like you hope to stand up against them single-handed ?’

Monkey did not stop to argue, but strode forward and, folding his arms across his chest, bowed to the robbers and said, ‘Sirs, for what reason do you stop poor priests from going on their way ?’

‘We are robber kings,’ they said, ‘mountain lords among the Benevolent,
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Everyone knows us. How comes it that
you are so ignorant? Hand over your things at once, and we will let you pass. But if half the word “no” leaves your lips, we shall hack you to pieces and grind your bones to powder.’

‘I, too,’ said Monkey, ‘am a great hereditary king, and lord of a mountain for hundreds of years; yet I have never heard your names.’

‘In that case, let us tell you,’ they said. “The first of us is called Eye that Sees and Delights; the second, Ear that Hears and is Angry; the third, Nose that Smells and Covets; the fourth, Tongue that Tastes and Desires; the fifth, Mind that Conceives and Lusts; the sixth, Body that Supports and Suffers.’

‘You’re nothing but six hairy ruffians,’ said Monkey, laughing. ‘We priests, I would have you know, are your lords and masters, yet you dare block our path. Bring out all the stolen goods you have about you and divide them into seven parts. Then, if you leave me one part, I will spare your lives.’

The robbers were so taken aback that they did not know whether to be angry or amused. ‘You must be mad,’ they said. ‘You’ve just lost all you possess, and you talk of sharing our booty with us!’ Brandishing their spears and flourishing their swords they all rushed forward and began to rain blows upon Monkey’s head. But he stood stock still and betrayed not the slightest concern.

‘Priest, your head must be very hard!’ they cried.

‘That’s all right,’ said Monkey, ‘I’m not in a hurry. But when your arms are tired, I’ll take out my needle and do my turn.’

‘What does he mean?’ they said. ‘Perhaps he’s a doctor turned priest. But we are none of us ill, so why should he talk about using the needle ?’

Monkey took his needle from behind his ear, recited a spell which changed it into a huge cudgel, and cried, ‘Hold your ground and let old Monkey try his hand upon you!’ The robbers fled in confusion, but in an instant he was among them and striking right and left he slew them all, stripped off their clothing and seized their baggage. Then he came back
to Tripitaka and said laughing, ‘Master, we can start now; I have killed them all.’

‘I am very sorry to hear it,’ said Tripitaka. ‘One has no right to kill robbers, however violent and wicked they may be. The most one may do is to bring them before a magistrate. It would have been quite enough in this case if you had driven them away. Why kill them ? You have behaved with a cruelty that ill becomes one of your sacred calling.’

‘If I had not killed them,’ said Monkey, ‘they would have killed you.’

‘A priest,’ said Tripitaka, ‘should be ready to die rather than commit acts of violence.’

‘I don’t mind telling you,’ said Monkey, ‘that five hundred years ago, when I was a king, I killed a pretty fair number of people, and if I had held your view I should certainly never have become the Great Sage Equal of Heaven.’

‘It was because of your unfortunate performances in Heaven,’ said Tripitaka, ‘that you had to do penance for five hundred years. If now that you have repented and become a priest you go on behaving as in old days, you can’t come with me to India. You’ve made a very bad start.’

The one thing Monkey had never been able to bear was to be scolded, and when Tripitaka began to lecture him like this, he flared up at once and cried, ‘All right! I’ll give up being a priest, and won’t go with you to India. You needn’t go on at me any more. I’m off I’

Tripitaka did not answer. His silence enraged Monkey even further. He shook himself and with a last ‘I’m off!’ he bounded away. When Tripitaka looked up, he had completely disappeared. ‘It’s no use trying to teach people like that,’ said Tripitaka to himself gloomily. ‘I only said a word or two, and off he goes. Very well then. Evidently it is not my fate to have a disciple; so I must get on as best I can without one.’

He collected the luggage, hoisted it on to the horse’s back and set out on foot, leading the horse with one hand and carrying his priest’s staff with the other, in very low spirits. He had not gone far, when he saw an old woman carrying a
brocaded coat and embroidered cap. As she came near, Tripitaka drew his horse to the side of the road to let her pass.

‘Where are you off to all alone ?’ she asked.

“The Emperor of China has sent me to India to fetch Scriptures,’ said Tripitaka.

“The Temple of the Great Thunder Clap where Buddha lives,’ said she, ‘is a hundred and one thousand leagues away. You surely don’t expect to get there with only one horse and no disciple to wait upon you ?’

‘I picked up a disciple a few days ago,’ said Tripitaka, ‘but he behaved badly and I was obliged to speak rather severely to him; whereupon he went off in a huff, and I have not seen him since.’

‘I’ve got a brocade coat and a cap with a metal band,’ said the old woman. ‘They belonged to my son. He entered a monastery, but when he had been a monk for three days, he died. I went and fetched them from the monastery to keep in memory of him. If you had a disciple, I should be very glad to let you have them.’

‘That is very kind of you,’ said Tripitaka, ‘but my disciple has run away, so I cannot accept them.’

‘Which way did he go ?’ asked the old woman.

‘The last time I heard his voice, it came from the east,’ said Tripitaka.

‘That’s the way that my house lies,’ said the old woman. ‘I expect he’ll turn up there. I’ve got a spell here which I’ll let you learn, if you promise not to teach it to anybody. I’ll go and look for him and send him back to you. Make him wear this cap and coat. If he disobeys you, say the spell, and he’ll give no more trouble and never dare to leave you.’