boy had grown up he came to a city of many people, and it was
said that the princess intended to take a husband. But in order to
find the right man, she had veiled herself, and seated herself in a
litter, and she had had the litter, together with many others, carried
into the market place. In every litter sat a veiled woman, and the
princess was in their midst. And whoever hit upon the right litter, he
was to get the princess for his bride. So the youth went there, too,
and when he reached the market place, he saw the bees whom he had
saved from the great flood, all swarming about a certain litter. Up he
stepped to it, and sure enough, the princess was sitting in it. And
then their wedding was celebrated, and they lived happily ever
afterward.

Note: "The Great Flood" is traditionally narrated and a
diluvian legend seems to underlie it. Compare with
Grimm's fairy-tale (No. 73) "The Queen of the Bees."

XI

THE FOX AND THE TIGER

Once a fox met a tiger. The latter bared his teeth, stretched out his
claws, and was about to devour him. But the fox spoke and said: "My
dear sir, you must not think that you are the only king of beasts.
Your courage does not compare with my own. Let us walk together, and
do you keep behind me. And if men catch sight of me and do not fear
me, then you may devour me." The tiger was willing, and so the fox led
him along a broad highway. But the travelers, when they saw the tiger
in the distance, were all frightened and ran away.

Then the fox said: "How about it? I went in advance, and the men saw
me and had not as yet seen you."

And thereupon the tiger drew in his tail and ran away himself.

The tiger had remarked quite well that the men were afraid of the fox,
but he had not noticed that the fox had borrowed the terror he
inspired from him.

Note: This universally known fable is traditionally
narrated. Animal fables are very rare in China.

XII

THE TIGER'S DECOY

That the fox borrowed the terror he inspired from the tiger is more
than a simile; but that the tiger has his decoy is something we read
about in the story books, and grandfathers talk about a good deal,
too. So there must be some truth in it. It is said that when a tiger
devours a human being, the latter's spirit cannot free itself, and
that the tiger then uses it for a decoy. When he goes out to seek his
prey, the spirit of the man he has devoured must go before him, to
hide him,