for thousands of miles across the ocean.

Then a storm came on, and the wonderful paper crane got damp, crumpled
up, and fell into the sea. Sentaro fell with it. Very much frightened
at the thought of being drowned, he cried out loudly to Jofuku to save
him. He looked round, but there was no ship in sight. He swallowed
a quantity of sea-water, which only increased his miserable plight.
While he was thus struggling to keep himself afloat, he saw a
monstrous shark swimming towards him. As it came nearer it opened its
huge mouth ready to devour him. Sentaro was all but paralyzed with
fear now that he felt his end so near, and screamed out as loudly as
ever he could to Jofuku to come and rescue him.

Lo, and behold, Sentaro was awakened by his own screams, to find that
during his long prayer he had fallen asleep before the shrine, and
that all his extraordinary and frightful adventures had been only a
wild dream. He was in a cold perspiration with fright, and utterly
bewildered.

Suddenly a bright light came towards him, and in the light stood a
messenger. The messenger held a book in his hand and spoke to Sentaro:

"I am sent to you by Jofuku, who in answer to your prayer, has
permitted you in a dream to see the land of Perpetual Life. But you
grew weary of living there, and begged to be allowed to return to your
native land so that you might die. Jofuku, so that he might try you,
allowed you to drop into the sea, and then sent a shark to swallow you
up. Your desire for death was not real, for even at that moment you
cried out loudly and shouted for help.

"It is also vain for you to wish to become a hermit, or to find the
Elixir of Life. These things are not for such as you--your life is not
austere enough. It is best for you to go back to your paternal home,
and to live a good and industrious life. Never neglect to keep the
anniversaries of your ancestors, and make it your duty to provide for
your children's future. Thus will you live to a good old age and be
happy, but give up the vain desire to escape death, for no man can
do that, and by this time you have surely found out that even when
selfish desires are granted they do not bring happiness.

"In this book I give you there are many precepts good for you to
know--if you study them, you will be guided in the way I have pointed
out to you."

The angel disappeared as soon as he had finished speaking, and Sentaro
took the lesson to heart. With the book in his ha