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013 - High as Han Hsin · Shen of the Sea- A Book for Children

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  Speaker 1: Section thirteen of Shen of the Sea, a Book for Children.
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  Speaker 1: This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in
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  Speaker 1: the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please
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  Speaker 1: visit LibriVox dot org. Read by Jennifer Wright. Shen of
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  Speaker 1: the Sea, a Book for Children by Arthur Bowie Chrisman.
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  Speaker 1: High is Han Sheen. Han Sheen was not at all
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  Speaker 1: high as to stature. He was short, short as a
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  Speaker 1: day in the month of long Nights. But as a
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  Speaker 1: leader of beaux drawing men, his place is high. As
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  Speaker 1: inventor of the world's first kite, he rose very high, indeed,
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  Speaker 1: and that accounts for the saying hi as Han Sheen.
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  Speaker 1: The knight that saw Hans Sheen's birth was no ordinary night.
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  Speaker 1: It was a night of fear and grandeur. The Shen
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  Speaker 1: who places the stars in the sky had a shaking hand,
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  Speaker 1: and that eve his fingers were palsied and could not hold.
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  Speaker 1: Star after star dropped down toward Earth, and the people
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  Speaker 1: prayed and wept the while they exploded fire crackers. It's
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  Speaker 1: a sinister sign when the stars tumble out of the sky.
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  Speaker 1: This the people knew. Therefore they trembled, But amid the
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  Speaker 1: falling stars was one that rose as if the shen
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  Speaker 1: had tossed it, as if the shen had thrown it high.
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  Speaker 1: One large star mounted higher and higher the while its
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  Speaker 1: companions fell. Wise men, astrologers, they who scan the heavens, said,
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  Speaker 1: the stars that fall are mighty men who die. The
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  Speaker 1: star that rises, that is the star of a future
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  Speaker 1: great man born this night. The wise men of the
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  Speaker 1: village kept careful watch over han Sheen. He had been
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  Speaker 1: born on the night of the rising star. They thought
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  Speaker 1: perhaps he might be the ward of the star. They
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  Speaker 1: watched closely for signs to strengthen their belief, but for
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  Speaker 1: some years Han Sheen disappointed them. He rattled his calabash
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  Speaker 1: in an extremely ordinary manner. There was no hint of
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  Speaker 1: greatness in the way he bounced a ball. Yet the
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  Speaker 1: astrologers held to their faith and watched, and finally were rewarded.
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  Speaker 1: There came a rain, not a hard rain, nevertheless, a
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  Speaker 1: wedding rain, sufficient to drive the villagers under shelter. But
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  Speaker 1: Han Sheen remained in the open, where quick drops pelted.
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  Speaker 1: A foolish villager noticed him and said, laughing, look at you,
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  Speaker 1: our future great man. He knows not enough to seek
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  Speaker 1: cover from the storm. Oh oh, oh, how wise, an
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  Speaker 1: old astrologer said, hush, chee cou oh, do you not
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  Speaker 1: see that the youth makes a bridge. Come with me.
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  Speaker 1: They went closer to have a more complete view. The
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  Speaker 1: flowing water had formed a little island in the street.
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  Speaker 1: Upon the island were many ants. As the water rose,
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  Speaker 1: the island grew smaller and the number of ants grew smaller,
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  Speaker 1: many being swept away to their death. Han Sheen raised
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  Speaker 1: a bridge from island to mainland. The ants quickly discovered
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  Speaker 1: his bridge and crossed to safety. It is a sign,
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  Speaker 1: said the old astrologer, Chi lie a good omen. He
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  Speaker 1: has befriended the ants. The ants will remember some day
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  Speaker 1: they will do him an equal service, helping him to
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  Speaker 1: become great. Han Sheen discovered in the king's paved road
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  Speaker 1: a hatchet of better than fair metal. None of the
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  Speaker 1: villagers could prove ownership. Little Han was permitted to keep
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  Speaker 1: his treasure. Quite soon, a spirited chopping was heard, steel
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  Speaker 1: ringing upon stone. A foolish villager said, look, Hansen uses
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  Speaker 1: his fine hatchet to chop the old millstone, thus demonstrating
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  Speaker 1: his great genius. Ho ho ho, he uses valuable edge
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  Speaker 1: steel to chip stone. The old astrologer said, hush Shatsu,
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  Speaker 1: come with me and behold a worn out millstone lay
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  Speaker 1: at the edge of the road. Through the hole in
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  Speaker 1: its center grew a bamboo tree. The hole was small
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  Speaker 1: already it hindered the tree's growth. Retarded as it was,
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  Speaker 1: the bamboo could never reach a full growth. Hanshen belabored
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  Speaker 1: the stone till it split in two pieces. Then there
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  Speaker 1: was plenty of room for the tree. There was nothing
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  Speaker 1: to pull its elbow. That is good, asserted the astrologer.
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  Speaker 1: He saves the bamboo from death. Some day the bamboo
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  Speaker 1: will reward him, help him to become great. Shortly afterward,
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  Speaker 1: the astrologer gave Han Sheen a note of recommendation to
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  Speaker 1: the king. Han went to the king's seeking employ He
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  Speaker 1: wished to command in the army, but his Majesty was
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  Speaker 1: in a sulky mood and would not see the boy. Therefore,
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  Speaker 1: Han continued his journey into chin Cho, a neighboring country.
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  Speaker 1: He went to the ruler, Prince Chin and exhibited his note.
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  Speaker 1: The prince read and laughed, here you are too small
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  Speaker 1: to serve in my army. My soldiers are giants. All
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  Speaker 1: very strong. You are Kotsau, little hopping insect. No. Han
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  Speaker 1: solemnly declared that his strength was that of a river
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  Speaker 1: in a flood, and begged for a trial. Well, if
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  Speaker 1: you are determined, said the prince, take my spear and
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  Speaker 1: raise it above your head. The Prince's spear was solid
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  Speaker 1: iron from point to heel, and longer than the mast
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  Speaker 1: of a sea venturing junk. Furthermore, it had been greased
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  Speaker 1: with tiger fat to prevent rust. Han grasped the spear
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  Speaker 1: to raise it. His fingers slipped down, crashed the heavy weapon.
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  Speaker 1: Take whips and lash him out of the city. Clumsy
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  Speaker 1: knave that he is, Prince Chin, roared in a great voice, angrily.
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  Speaker 1: The spear had missed his royal person by the merest might.
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  Speaker 1: An old councilor spoke, your highness. Surely it cannot be
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  Speaker 1: that you intend to let the rogue live. He will
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  Speaker 1: some day return with an army to take revenge. Nonsense,
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  Speaker 1: said the Prince. He is no more than an ant
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  Speaker 1: and idiotic. Besides, how could such a fellow secure an army. Nevertheless,
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  Speaker 1: I fear the ant will work your downfall. He must
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  Speaker 1: be killed. The councilor insisted. He argued so strongly for
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  Speaker 1: Hans's death that rather than hear more, the Prince consented,
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  Speaker 1: it is useless, but do as you wish. Send a
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  Speaker 1: squad of horse to overtake him and fetch back his head.
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  Speaker 1: When Han Sheen beheld the soldiers approaching at top speed,
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  Speaker 1: there was no doubt in his mind as to what
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  Speaker 1: harsh Errand brought them. He knew they intended to have
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  Speaker 1: his head. But Han, having lived so long with his head,
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  Speaker 1: had become fond of it and preferred to keep it
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  Speaker 1: on his shoulders. But how how could it be saved?
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  Speaker 1: There was no escape by running, There was no place
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  Speaker 1: to hide. The boy must use his wits. Hastily tying
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  Speaker 1: a cord to his bamboo staff, he threw the staff
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  Speaker 1: into a tiny, shallow puddle of water that lay beside
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  Speaker 1: the road. The soldiers galloped up to find him seated
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  Speaker 1: on the bank, fishing and weeping. And what ails you, simpleton?
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  Speaker 1: A soldier asked, have you lost your nurse? Between sobs,
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  Speaker 1: Han answered, I am hungry and I can't catch any fish.
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  Speaker 1: What a booby? Said another soldier. A fish is in
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  Speaker 1: a puddle no larger than a copper cash look, said
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  Speaker 1: yet another. He throws in the pole and holds the
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  Speaker 1: hook in his hand. What a chiekuo as foolish as
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  Speaker 1: Nuwa who melted stones to mend a hole in the sky.
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  Speaker 1: Do you suppose this is the creature we were told
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  Speaker 1: to kill? He was answered, nonsense, Princh Chin doesn't scent
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  Speaker 1: his caval to kill an aunt. Spur your horses. When
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  Speaker 1: the troops returned and reported their lack of success, there
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  Speaker 1: was much talk the counselor raged offering to resign. He
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  Speaker 1: was positive that so long as Han Sheen lived, the
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  Speaker 1: government would be in danger. He was bitter because the
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  Speaker 1: troops had mistaken Han's cunning for imbecility. Merely to humor
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  Speaker 1: the councilor, Prince Chin mounted a horse and galloped away
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  Speaker 1: with his troops. Han Sheen put his best foot foremost,
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  Speaker 1: hurrying toward the border. He longed to trudge the turf
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  Speaker 1: of his own country once more. It was not that
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  Speaker 1: homesickness urged his steps. Han felt reasonably sure that his friends,
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  Speaker 1: the soldiers, would shortly take the road again. The next time,
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  Speaker 1: they might not be so easily deluded. Therefore he hastened.
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  Speaker 1: But it was useless. His own country was still miles
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  Speaker 1: distant when he beheld the dust of men who whipped
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  Speaker 1: their horses. It is not pleasant to have one's head
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  Speaker 1: lopped off at times, it is almost annoying, Han thought quickly.
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  Speaker 1: Near by was a melon patch. The melons were large
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  Speaker 1: in their ripeness. Upon a huge striped shikua, the boy
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  Speaker 1: sat him down and wept. The tears coursed down his cheeks,
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  Speaker 1: and his body shook with sobbing. Undoubtedly his sorrow was great.
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  Speaker 1: Prince Chin stopped his steed with a jerk. Ay chee,
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  Speaker 1: such grief? Are you trying to drown yourself with tears?
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  Speaker 1: I I I am hungry, stammered Han Sheen hungry. Then
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  Speaker 1: why don't you eat a melon? I would, sire, But
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  Speaker 1: I've lost my knife, so I must ciss starve. The
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  Speaker 1: Prince was well assured that he had met with the
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  Speaker 1: most foolish person in the world. What starve? Because you
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  Speaker 1: have no knife? Strike the melon with a stone, such
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  Speaker 1: a dunce. It would never do for me to behead
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  Speaker 1: this fellow. The shen who watches over imbeciles would be
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  Speaker 1: made angry. A trooper slashed a dozen melons with his sword.
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  Speaker 1: Surely a dozen would save the idiot from starvation. Oh
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  Speaker 1: what an idiot. Han Sheen sat on the ground, obscuring
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  Speaker 1: his features in the red heart of a melon. As
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  Speaker 1: the prince and his men departed, his lips moved, but
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  Speaker 1: not an eating. His lips moved in silent laughter. Han
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  Speaker 1: Sheen bothered no more kings, with notes, setting forth the
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  Speaker 1: argument that he had been born under a lucky star
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  Speaker 1: and so deserved well. Quite casually he fell in with
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  Speaker 1: King Calleen's army. He received no pay, his name was
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  Speaker 1: not on the muster. He hobnobbed with all the soldiers
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  Speaker 1: and soon became a favorite. The boy had a remarkable memory.
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  Speaker 1: He learned the name of every soldier in the army. Further,
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  Speaker 1: he learned the good and bad traits of each soldier,
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  Speaker 1: knew who could be depended upon and who was unreliable.
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  Speaker 1: He knew from what village each man came, and he
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  Speaker 1: could describe the village with exactness, all from hearing the
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  Speaker 1: soldier's talk. A fire destroyed the army muster rule. Hanshin
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  Speaker 1: quickly wrote a new list, giving the name of each man,
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  Speaker 1: his age, his qualities, his parents, and his village. King
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  Speaker 1: Kaolen marveled Shortly afterward, he added Hans's name to the list.
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  Speaker 1: A general Prince Chin made war upon King Koolin. He
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  Speaker 1: marched three armies through the kingdom, and where the armies
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  Speaker 1: had passed there was desolation, and no two stalks of
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  Speaker 1: grain remained in any field. Han Sheen moved against the
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  Speaker 1: smallest of the three armies. The enemy waited well hidden
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  Speaker 1: above a mountain pass through which Han must march. It
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  Speaker 1: was an excellent ambush. There was no other passage. The
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  Speaker 1: mountain was so steep no man could climb it. Han
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  Speaker 1: caused his soldiers to remove their jackets and fill them
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  Speaker 1: with sand, afterward tying bottom and top securely. The sand
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  Speaker 1: bags were placed against a cliff to form a stairway.
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  Speaker 1: Up went Han and his men to come upon the
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  Speaker 1: enemy from behind and capture the whole army. Cook and general.
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  Speaker 1: The second hostile army retreated to the river Lanchway. It
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  Speaker 1: crossed the river, then burned all boats and bridges. So
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  Speaker 1: safe from pursuit, felt the hostile general, he neglected to
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  Speaker 1: post sentries. Instead, he ordered all the men to feast
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  Speaker 1: and make pleasure. Hansheen ordered his men to remove the
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  Speaker 1: iron points from their spears the hollow bamboo shafts of
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  Speaker 1: the spears were lashed together, forming rafts. Armed only with
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  Speaker 1: light bows. The men quickly crossed Lan Schuei River and
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  Speaker 1: pounced upon their unready enemy. The feast was eaten by
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  Speaker 1: soldiers other than those for whom it had been intended.
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  Speaker 1: Prince Chin led the third and largest army. He had
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  Speaker 1: far more braves than Han commanded. There could be no
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  Speaker 1: whipping him in open battle. In strategy lay the only hope.
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  Speaker 1: Han Shehing clothed many thousand scarecrows and placed them in
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  Speaker 1: the battle line. A scarecrow a soldier, another scarecrow, another soldier.
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  Speaker 1: In that manner to all appearance, he doubled his army forthwith,
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  Speaker 1: he wrote a letter demanding surrender, pointing out that since
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  Speaker 1: his army was so much larger than Chin PA's, to
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  Speaker 1: fight would be a useless sacrifice. Prince Chin took long
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  Speaker 1: to decide upon his course, so long it took him
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  Speaker 1: that Han grew impatient and sat down to write again.
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  Speaker 1: While he wrote, a strong wind broke upon the camp.
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  Speaker 1: The papers on Hans's table were lifted high in the air,
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  Speaker 1: higher and higher. They swirled higher than an eagle. For
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  Speaker 1: the shen of storms to read. Hans's golden knife, resting
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  Speaker 1: on a paper, was lifted by the wind, transported far
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  Speaker 1: over the foeman's camp. Immediately, an idea seethed in the
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  Speaker 1: leader's mind. If a small piece of paper could carry
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  Speaker 1: a knife, might not a large piece carry the knife's own,
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  Speaker 1: Especially when that owner happened to be not much more
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  Speaker 1: weighty than a three day bean cake, It seemed reasonable. Again,
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  Speaker 1: the little general took spears from his soldiers. The iron
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  Speaker 1: points were removed, and the long bamboo shafts were bound
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  Speaker 1: together in a frame. Over the frame was fastened tough
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  Speaker 1: bamboo paper in many sheets. Away from prying enemy eyes,
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  Speaker 1: the queer contrivance was sent into air. It proved skyworthy,
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  Speaker 1: lifting its maker to a fearsome height. Thus was the
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  Speaker 1: fung chung invented. Thus was the kite, little brother of
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  Speaker 1: the aeroplane invented by Han Sheen. The night showed no moon,
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  Speaker 1: not a star had been lighted. The wind blew strong
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  Speaker 1: with an eerie whistling. It was such a night as
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  Speaker 1: demons walk about their mischief, and honest men keep under
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  Speaker 1: their quilts. Out of the sky above the enemy camp
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  Speaker 1: came a great flapping sound. Could it be a dragon?
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  Speaker 1: All eyes peered upward through the darkness. Two red eyes appeared.
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  Speaker 1: Nothing more could be seen, only the two evil eyes.
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  Speaker 1: A voice came from the sky. Return to your homes,
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  Speaker 1: boomed the voice. The battle is lost. Return to your
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  Speaker 1: homes ere, they too are lost. The men of Chin
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  Speaker 1: shook with fear. The Shen of the sky had spoken.
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  Speaker 1: They had heard his voice, They had heard the flapping
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  Speaker 1: of his wings. They had seen his red and terrible eyes.
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  Speaker 1: How could the men of Chin know that the words
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  Speaker 1: they heard were uttered by Han Shin? How could they
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  Speaker 1: know that the flapping was caused by a man made
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  Speaker 1: thing later to be named Fung Chung? And how could
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  Speaker 1: they know that the eyes were mere bottles filled with
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  Speaker 1: insects called right at night fireflies? The men of Chin
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  Speaker 1: could not know. They loosened the ropes of their tents,
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  Speaker 1: and the tents came down. Prince Chin tried in vain
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  Speaker 1: to hold his followers. No longer followers were they. They
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  Speaker 1: were fugitives, Fleeing to their homes. Only a few hundred
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  Speaker 1: remained true to their prince. Doubly armed with the weapons
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  Speaker 1: that had been thrown away, they ascended a steep and
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  Speaker 1: rocky hill there to make their last great fight. But
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  Speaker 1: Han Sheen had anticipated just such action and had prepared
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  Speaker 1: for it. Unseen. He had slipped through the enemy lines
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  Speaker 1: and climbed the hill with a brush dipped in honey.
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  Speaker 1: He wrote words upon a stone. As he wrote, came
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  Speaker 1: hungry ants. The ants came to aid and to feast.
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  Speaker 1: Soon the stone was black with a crawling multitude. Prince
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  Speaker 1: Chin scaled the hill to its summit. Ten thousand swords
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  Speaker 1: could not dislodge him from those rocks. He would make
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  Speaker 1: the enemy pay a red price for success. His gaze
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  Speaker 1: fell upon the rock, he saw a host of ants
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  Speaker 1: forming characters that read the battle is lost. His men
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  Speaker 1: also beheld, and they said, the aunt is wisest of
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  Speaker 1: all animals. Let us crawl in the dust, for we
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  Speaker 1: are conquered. So Hanshin victored over three hostile armies. His
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  Speaker 1: country was invaded no more. In time it became really
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  Speaker 1: his country, for he ruled it as a king, ruled
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  Speaker 1: it well. But now his wise rule is forgotten. He
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  Speaker 1: is remembered as the man who first made kites. End
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  Speaker 1: of section thirteen.