Page:History of Corea, ancient and modern; with description of manners and customs, language and geography (1879).djvu/216

192 SINLO. a hen also inside. If there is a hen/' said the forward Gwoyuen, " we shall soon see/' — ^and in went the bamboo again, poked about more vigorously than befora A great noise succeeded, like the sound of crashing up of bamboo ; and this made Gwoyuen withdraw his pole, when forthwith came out a great thing with a man's head on a bird's body, which perched on the glossy slab, turned towards the emperor, and uttered three wailing shrieks. None knew what this bird was, except Mr Hu ; -who, with a face pale as a corpse, cursed Gwoyuen for his meddlesomeness, in endeavouring to find out more after the Funghwang was gone. Then addressing the emperor, he said : " Your majesty, the judgment of heaven is already manifest ; and not small in the calamity foreboded by this bird of evil omen Its name is the Bird of Woe ; and except when a terrible woe is to fall upon the empire, it is not seen." The emperor, covered all over with cold perspiration, asked what the calamity might be. To which Mr Hu replied, that Wang Mang, of the Han dynasty, had a notable flying sword ; and it was to snatch this sword away in its mouth, that this bird is historically reported to have been seen. Immediately after, Mang began his rebelUon, and the evil course written of him. The bird now took up one of his majesty's arrows, and fled eastwards. Mr Hli xuged the emperor to retire immediately, for that evil was at hand. Gaisoowun had early known of the prowess of Yingwei, and sent to Fooyii for assistance. An army of 600,000 men was nearing Hanmachung on the very day the emperor was on Funghwang mountains. Gaisoowun's white horse neighed as if startled, and, on looking up, the rider saw a great flight of birds following in the wake of the Funghwang. He was greatly enraged, for he believed the Funghwang then at rest in her nest, and strictest orders had been given not to molest her. Hia anger was because now that she was gone, Gaoli soldiers would never succeed in taking China. As the mountain was occupied by his own men, he could not understand how she had been •disturbed. But in the midst of his meditations on this subject,