her-in-law to
pound her magic drugs in."

"First you must cross the Black River," replied the Geni, with rather
a scornful laugh. "It is a mile wide, and the fish in it are six yards
long, and covered with spikes like porcupines."

"How did you get across?" inquired Pei-Hang.

"I? Oh, I can fly," said the Geni.

"And I can jump," retorted Pei-Hang, sturdily.

The Geni walked with him as far as the Black River, and when our hero
saw the great waste of water as black as ink, stretching away in front
of him, it must be confessed his heart sank a little.

But he took out his fourth seed, and watched it disappear beneath a
coal-black wave.

In an instant, to the Geni's astonishment, the river dried up, leaving
only a shallow stream running through the grass at their feet.

The Geni was not altogether a bad-hearted fellow, and he was also much
impressed by the wonderful things Pei-Hang seemed able to do; so he
offered to show him the nearest way to the home of the Genii, on the
top of Mount Sumi.

After a long and wearisome climb they got up there, and found eight of
the Genii sitting on eight snow-peaks, and looking down on the Lake of
Gems, as Yun-Ying had said.

The Lake of Gems lay on the other side of Mount Sumi, and was a
beautiful sheet of water, flashing all the colours of the rainbow.

Pei-Hang could not take his eyes off it. He forgot all about the
pestle and mortar as he watched the waves rippling along the shore,
and leaving behind them diamonds, rubies, sapphires, and pearls in
thousands.

Every pebble on the margin of the lake was a precious stone, and
Pei-Hang wanted to go down and fill his pockets with them.

He stood there while the Geni who had been his guide explained to the
others why he had come, and told them about the wonderful red and
white seeds he carried about with him.

"We must let him have the pestle and mortar," he said, "or he won't
give us our rivers back again." The eight Genii nodded their eight
heads, and spoke all at once, with a noise which was like the rumble
of thunder among the hills. "Let him take it, if he can carry it,"
they said.

And they laughed until the snow-peaks shook beneath them; for the
mortar made of jade was six feet high and four feet wide and the
pestle was so heavy no mortal could lift it.

Pei-Hang, when he had finished staring at the Lake of Gems, walked
round it, and wondered how he was to carry it down the mountain and
across the plains to Ch