, I went
down into the well at dawn this morning, and found the missing seal on
the body of the King. Here it is, and now we must lay our plans to
work on the mind of the son for the deliverance of the father.
To-morrow I hear that the Prince is going out hunting on the
neighbouring hills. In one of the valleys there is a temple to the
Goddess of Mercy, and if you will take this seal and await his coming
there, I promise you that I will find means to entice him to the
shrine."

Next morning the heir to the Throne of the "Kingdom of the Black
Flower" set out with a noisy retinue to have a day's hunting on the
well-wooded hills overlooking the capital. They had scarcely reached
the hunting grounds when great excitement was caused by the sudden
appearance of a remarkable-looking hare. It was decidedly larger than
an ordinary hare, but the curious feature about it was its colour,
which was as white as the driven snow.

No sooner had the hounds caught sight of it, than with loud barkings
and bayings they dashed madly in pursuit. The hare, however, did not
seem to show any terror, but with graceful bounds that carried it
rapidly over the ground, it easily out-distanced the fleetest of its
pursuers. It appeared, indeed, as though it were thoroughly enjoying
the facility with which it could outrun the dogs, while the latter grew
more and more excited as they always saw the quarry before them and yet
could never get near enough to lay hold upon it.

Another extraordinary thing was that this hare did not seem anxious to
escape. It took no advantage of undergrowth or of clumps of trees to
hide the direction in which it was going. It managed also to keep
constantly in view of the whole field; and when it had to make sudden
turns in the natural windings of the road which led to a valley in the
distance, where there stood a famous temple, it hesitated for a moment
and allowed the baying hounds to come perilously near, before it darted
off with the speed of lightning and left the dogs far behind it.

Little did the hunters dream that the beautiful animal which was giving
them such an exciting chase was none other than the fairy Hing, who had
assumed this disguise in order to bring the Prince to the lonely temple
in the secluded valley, where, beyond the possibility of being spied
upon by his father's murderer, the story of treachery could be told,
and means be devised for his restoration to the throne.

Having arrived cl