u. She was a
peasant's daughter, and though her step-mother treated her harshly she
remained respectful and industrious. She loved to give alms, though
her step-mother tried to prevent her. Yet she was never angry, even
when her step-mother beat her. She had sworn not to marry, and at last
her step-mother did not know what to do with her. One day, while she
was cooking rice, Grandfather Du came and delivered her. She was still
holding the rice-spoon in her hand as she ascended into the air. In
the heavens she was appointed to sweep up the fallen flowers at the
Southern Gate of Heaven.

Note: The legends of the Eight Immortals, regarded as
one group, do not go back further than the Manchu
dynasty, though individual ones among them were known
before. Some of the Immortals, like Han Siang Dsi, are
historic personages, others purely mythical. In the
present day they play an important part in art and in
the art-crafts. Their emblems also occur frequently:
Dschung Li Kuan is represented with a fan. Dschang Go
has a bamboo drum with two drum-sticks (and his donkey).
Lu Dung Bin has a sword and a flower-basket on his
back. Tsau Guo Gui has two small boards, (Yin Yang Ban),
which he can throw into the air. Li Tia Guai has the
bottle-gourd, out of which emerges a bat, the emblem of
good fortune. Lan Tsai Ho, who is also pictured as a woman,
has a flute. Han Siang Dsi has a flower-basket and a
dibble. Ho Sian Gu has a spoon, usually formed in the
shape of a lotus-flower.

XXXI

THE EIGHT IMMORTALS (II)

Once upon a time there was a poor man, who at last had no roof to
shelter him and not a bite to eat. So, weary and worn, he lay down
beside a little temple of the field-god that stood by the roadside and
fell asleep. And he dreamed that the old, white-bearded field-god came
out of his little shrine and said to him: "I know of a means to help
you! To-morrow the Eight Immortals will pass along this road. Cast
yourself down before them and plead to them!"

When the man awoke he seated himself beneath the great tree beside the
field-god's little temple, and waited all day long for his dream to
come true. At last, when the sun had nearly sunk, eight figures came
down the road, which the beggar clearly recognized as those of the
Eight Immortals. Seven of them were hurrying as fast as they could,
but one among them, who had a lame leg, limped along after